Patents by Inventor Takaaki Tokura
Takaaki Tokura 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).
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Publication number: 20140200112Abstract: Disclosed is a control apparatus for a vehicle including: a belt continuously variable transmission capable of continuously changing a gear ratio; and a forward/reverse switching mechanism capable of controlling a state of power transmission between an engine and the belt continuously variable transmission. The control apparatus is configured to, at re-acceleration following deceleration, perform an input clutch slip control to place a forward clutch of the forward/reverse switching mechanism in a slipping engagement position and thus increase an engine revolution speed.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2014Publication date: July 17, 2014Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Motonori KIMURA
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Patent number: 8725367Abstract: In a control apparatus and a control method for a vehicle automatic transmission in which a plurality of gears with different speed ratios are achieved by selectively engaging a plurality of friction engagement devices and a one-way clutch, if an acceleration request is made in the case where the one-way clutch is in an idling state when a first predetermined gear is to be achieved by engaging the one-way clutch, a pre-synchronization control is executed to transmit torque through a predetermined friction engagement device used to achieve a second predetermined gear at which the one-way clutch is maintained in an idling state, and to continue to change a rotational direction of the one-way clutch toward a rotational direction in which the one-way clutch is brought to a synchronized state, according to the acceleration request.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2009Date of Patent: May 13, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takaaki Tokura, Hideaki Otsubo, Motonori Kimura
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Publication number: 20140129101Abstract: A value correlated with a basic required driving force to be required at re-acceleration is estimated from the deceleration of a decelerating vehicle. A target gear ratio of a CVT is determined from a value obtained by correcting the value correlated with the basic required driving force based on a maximum amount of vehicle speed change at the current time point and an amount of vehicle speed change from the start of a gear ratio control up to the current time point.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2013Publication date: May 8, 2014Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Shogo MATSUMOTO
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Publication number: 20130013161Abstract: Provided is a control device for a vehicle that can switch between an automatic gear shift mode in which gear shifting of the automatic transmission is performed according to a vehicle traveling condition, and a manual gear shift mode in which gear shifting of the automatic transmission is performed according to a driver operation, and that changes drive force characteristics by controlling output torque of the drive source at the time of a gear shift mode switch. When the gear shift mode is switched between automatic and manual the control device selects an initial gear stage or an initial gear ratio for the gear shift mode switch such that the amount of change in drive force that accompanies the gear shift mode switch decreases, or such that the direction of change in drive force that accompanies the gear shift mode switch conforms to the driver's intention or expected sensation.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2010Publication date: January 10, 2013Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hideaki Otsubo, Masayuki Baba, Takaaki Tokura
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Patent number: 8287431Abstract: When shifting an automatic transmission into a higher gear, it is determined that an inertia phase has started when an input rotation speed of the automatic transmission has started to decrease. Here, if throttle opening amount reduction control is being performed to reduce the output torque of the engine when it is determined that the inertia phase has started, it is highly likely that that determination is erroneous because that control causes the input rotation speed of the automatic transmission (i.e., the engine speed) to decrease. When it is highly likely that the determination that the inertia phase has started is erroneous in this way, learning of a hydraulic pressure command value is prohibited. As a result, erroneous learning of the hydraulic pressure command value can be prevented.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2008Date of Patent: October 16, 2012Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Nobufusa Kobayashi, Toshio Sugimura, Tomohiro Asami, Takaaki Tokura, Yoshio Hasegawa
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Patent number: 8271169Abstract: An ECU executes a program that outputs a shift command when a determination has been made to perform a power-on downshift (i.e., YES in S100); controls the hydraulic pressure supplied to a friction engagement element to perform the power-on downshift; allows the correction of the hydraulic pressure supplied to the friction engagement element during the power-on downshift when the difference between a target input torque and an estimated input torque is equal to or less than a threshold value ?TT (1) (i.e., YES in S130); and correcting the hydraulic pressure supplied to the friction engagement element during the power-on downshift.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2007Date of Patent: September 18, 2012Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshio Hasegawa, Takaaki Tokura
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Patent number: 8249785Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicular automatic transmission which has a plurality of coupling elements selectively released and engaged to perform shifting actions, the control apparatus including a shift control portion configured to control at least one specially controlled coupling element which is included in the coupling elements provided to perform the shifting actions of the automatic transmission and which is placed in a fully released state prior and subsequent to the shifting action performed according to a presently generated shifting command, the shift control portion controlling each specially controlled coupling element so as to enable the specially controlled coupling element to have a torque capacity during the shifting action performed according to the presently generated shifting command.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2009Date of Patent: August 21, 2012Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takaaki Tokura, Hideaki Otsubo
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Publication number: 20110125375Abstract: In a control apparatus and a control method for a vehicle automatic transmission in which a plurality of gears with different speed ratios are achieved by selectively engaging a plurality of friction engagement devices and a one-way clutch, if an acceleration request is made in the case where the one-way clutch is in an idling state when a first predetermined gear is to be achieved by engaging the one-way clutch, a pre-synchronization control is executed to transmit torque through a predetermined friction engagement device used to achieve a second predetermined gear at which the one-way clutch is maintained in an idling state, and to continue to change a rotational direction of the one-way clutch toward a rotational direction in which the one-way clutch is brought to a synchronized state, according to the acceleration request.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2009Publication date: May 26, 2011Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takaaki Tokura, Hideaki Otsubo, Motonori Kimura
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Patent number: 7925406Abstract: A first input torque value estimated when it is determined that an inertia phase has started is stored as an input torque value. Then, the input torque value is updated to a value determined based on the first input torque value and a second input torque value estimated when it is determined that the accelerator pedal has been operated by at least a predetermined amount. When the second input torque value is smaller than the first input torque value, the stored input torque value is updated to a value that is equal to or greater than the first input torque value. When the second input torque value is equal to or greater than the first input torque value, the stored input torque value is updated to the second input torque value.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2007Date of Patent: April 12, 2011Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Asami, Toshio Sugimura, Takaaki Tokura, Nobufusa Kobayashi
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Patent number: 7894969Abstract: A control apparatus includes a torque-boost control portion that boosts torque output from the engine, and corrects the operation amount of an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of air taken into the engine to increase the amount of air during a torque phase when the automatic transmission upshifts; and an inertia-phase determination portion that determines whether an inertia phase has started. The torque-boost control portion includes a torque-boost end control portion that executes a torque-boost end control that gradually decreases a correction amount, by which the operation amount is corrected, to zero when the inertia-phase determination portion determines that the inertia phase has started.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2007Date of Patent: February 22, 2011Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Asami, Toshio Sugimura, Takaaki Tokura, Nobufusa Kobayashi
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Patent number: 7824291Abstract: When a determination for a second shift is made during a first shift process, if the turbine speed is the variety of the synchronous rotational speed for the speed to which the automatic transmission is to be shifted in the second shift and the hydraulic pressure command value for the first brake, which is engaged in the second shift, is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the multiple shift portion immediately switches the shift control from the first shift control to the second shift control so that the hydraulic pressure command value for the first brake, which is engaged in the second shift, increase at a specific rate and the hydraulic pressure command value for the third brake, which is released in the second shift, decreases at a specific rate.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2007Date of Patent: November 2, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takaaki Tokura, Toshio Sugimura, Tomohiro Asami, Nobufusa Kobayashi, Yoshio Hasegawa
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Patent number: 7785231Abstract: A gear shift controlling apparatus of an automatic transmission for a vehicle has a synchronization-time engagement pressure correcting device that, before synchronization of gear-shifting, makes an increase correction of an engagement pressure of the disengaged-side engaging element by a first prescribed amount, to cause an input shaft rotational speed immediately before synchronizing of the automatic transmission to approach a rotational speed calculated by multiplying an output shaft rotational speed by a gear ratio of a gear after gear-shifting the automatic transmission.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2007Date of Patent: August 31, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Nobufusa Kobayashi, Toshio Sugimura, Tomohiro Asami, Takaaki Tokura, Tomohiro Kondo, Masami Kondo, Masaharu Tanaka
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Patent number: 7780570Abstract: An ECU executes a program for implementing a method that includes: a step of performing control so that torque capacity Tch of a frictional engagement device that is brought from an engaged state into a disengage state by a downshift operation is gradually reduced to start an inertia phase when a power-on downshift is performed; and a step of stopping the gradual reduction of the torque capacity Tch when the rate of change in an input shaft rotation speed NI of an automatic transmission has reached a desired rate of change ?N(1). Variation in output torque is kept small, and the shock that can occur at the time of a shift is thus reduced.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2007Date of Patent: August 24, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kunihiro Iwatsuki, Takaaki Tokura
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Publication number: 20100211276Abstract: In order to realize favorable transmission characteristics in power-off upshift in clutch-to-clutch shift, an ECU detects an upshift request in a power-off state (request of clutch-to-clutch shift), and then outputs a control signal to a hydraulic circuit such that an on-coming clutch is engaged. When the on-coming clutch torque capacity becomes larger than 0 to have transmission torque, a sweep-down control signal is output to the hydraulic circuit such that an off-going clutch is released.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2008Publication date: August 19, 2010Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Nobufusa Kobayashi, Tomohiro Asami, Hideaki Otsubo
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Publication number: 20100168970Abstract: An ECU executes a program that outputs a shift command when a determination has been made to perform a power-on downshift (i.e., YES in S100); controls the hydraulic pressure supplied to a friction engagement element to perform the power-on downshift; allows the correction of the hydraulic pressure supplied to the friction engagement element during the power-on downshift when the difference between a target input torque and an estimated input torque is equal to or less than a threshold value ?TT (1) (i.e., YES in S130); and correcting the hydraulic pressure supplied to the friction engagement element during the power-on downshift.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2007Publication date: July 1, 2010Inventors: Yoshio Hasegawa, Takaaki Tokura
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Patent number: 7731628Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle includes an engagement-pressure control portion that increases the engagement pressure to a predetermined pressure for a friction engagement element to be engaged during a torque phase of an upshift in an automatic transmission. When the inertia phase starts, the control apparatus increases the engagement pressure at a predetermined gradient. The control apparatus also includes a torque-boost control portion that executes a torque-boost control that boosts the torque output from the power source during the torque phase; and a torque-boost permission portion that determines whether the torque-boost control should be restricted. When it is determined that the torque-boost control should not be restricted, the predetermined pressure is set to a greater value, and the predetermined gradient is set to a smaller value than when it is determined that the torque-boost control should be restricted.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2007Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Asami, Toshio Sugimura, Takaaki Tokura, Nobufusa Kobayashi
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Patent number: 7731629Abstract: An engagement-pressure control portion and a first torque decrease control portion are provided. The engagement-pressure control portion controls an engagement pressure for a friction engagement element to be engaged when an automatic transmission upshifts so that the engagement pressure increases to a standby pressure at which an inertia phase does not start on the condition that torque output from a power source is equal to a first predetermined value, and then the engagement pressure is maintained at the standby pressure. The first torque decrease control portion controls the torque output from the power source so that the torque gradually decreases from the first predetermined value after the engagement pressure for the friction engagement element is maintained at the standby pressure, and a predetermined condition is satisfied.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2007Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Asami, Toshio Sugimura, Takaaki Tokura, Nobufusa Kobayashi
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Patent number: 7727113Abstract: An ECU executes a program sets a driver requested torque based on the accelerator operation amount, and sets a torque-boost amount so that the torque-boost amount increases as the driver requested torque increases, until the driver requested torque exceeds a predetermined torque T(0). When the driver requested torque exceeds the predetermined torque T(0), the torque-boost amount decreases as the driver requested torque increases. However, the torque obtained by adding the torque-boost amount to the driver requested torque increases as the accelerator operation amount increases.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 2007Date of Patent: June 1, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takaaki Tokura, Toshio Sugimura, Tomohiro Asami, Nobufusa Kobayashi
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Publication number: 20100056332Abstract: When shifting an automatic transmission (3) into a higher gear, it is determined that an inertia phase has started when an input rotation speed of the automatic transmission (3) has started to decrease. Here, if throttle opening amount reduction control is being performed to reduce the output torque of the engine (2) when it is determined that the inertia phase has started, it is highly likely that that determination is erroneous because that control causes the input rotation speed of the automatic transmission (3) (i.e., the engine speed) to decrease. When it is highly likely that the determination that the inertia phase has started is erroneous in this way, learning of a hydraulic pressure command value (Pt) is prohibited. As a result, erroneous learning of the hydraulic pressure command value (Pt) can be prevented.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2008Publication date: March 4, 2010Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Nobufusa Kobayashi, Toshio Sugimura, Tomohiro Asami, Takaaki Tokura, Yoshio Hasegawa
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Patent number: 7578760Abstract: An automatic transmission controller for a vehicle has an insufficient gear shifting time determining device that determines whether a gear shifting time for shifting performed by disengagement of two engaging elements and engagement of two engaging elements is insufficient; and a double engage/disengage prohibiting device that prohibits the gear shift after the disengagement of two engaging elements and engagement of two engaging elements when the insufficient shifting time determining device determines that the gear shifting time for shifting after the disengagement of two engaging elements and engagement of two engaging elements is insufficient.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2007Date of Patent: August 25, 2009Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Nobufusa Kobayashi, Toshio Sugimura, Tomohiro Asami, Takaaki Tokura