Patents by Inventor Takahiro Kojo
Takahiro Kojo 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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Patent number: 8818634Abstract: Lane keeping control is ended in accurate timing which does not give an uncomfortable feeling to a driver. In a vehicle 10 which is provided with a steering mechanism 200, an EPS actuator 300, and a VGRS actuator 500 and which can change a rudder angle regardless of a driver's steering input due to the cooperative control of the aforementioned mechanism and actuators, an ECU 100 performs LKA end control. In the control, in cases where a winker lever 16 is operated in a period of performing LKA control for making the vehicle 10 follow a target driving route, if the indicated direction of the winker lever 16 is different from a generation direction of generating an assist steering torque TA of the EPS actuator 300 in the LKA control, the LKA control is promptly ended. In cases where the indicated direction is equal to the generation direction, if a steering angle MAdrv corresponding to the driver's steering input exceeds a steering angle MAlka generated by the LKA control, the LKA control is ended.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2013Date of Patent: August 26, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshitaka Fujita, Takahiro Kojo
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Publication number: 20140229068Abstract: A vehicle drive-control device which executes trajectory control in which steered wheels are controlled so as to make the vehicle travel along a target trajectory. When the possibility exists that the travel direction of the vehicle may be changed by the trajectory control, at least one of an operation position of a steering input unit operated by a driver; a yaw angle of the vehicle; and a lateral position of the vehicle with respect to a lane is changed before a change in the travel direction is made, thereby giving occupants in the vehicle advance notice of the possibility of a change in vehicle travel direction caused by the trajectory control.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2011Publication date: August 14, 2014Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masao Ueyama, Yoji Kunihiro, Theerawat Limpibunterng, Takahiro Kojo
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Patent number: 8688327Abstract: A driving support apparatus of a vehicle supports driving of the vehicle, the vehicle includes a rudder angle varying device capable of changing a relative relation between a steering angle and a rudder angle. The driving support apparatus includes a following control device for controlling the rudder angle varying device such that the vehicle follows a target driving route; a steering angle specifying device for specifying the steering angle; and a judging device for judging whether or not overriding performed by a driver takes place on the basis of the specified steering angle and a reference steering angle which is the steering angle in making the vehicle follow the target driving route. The following control device stops the vehicle following for the target driving route if it is judged that the overriding takes place.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2010Date of Patent: April 1, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Theerawat Limpibunterng, Takahiro Kojo, Hirofumi Nitta, Shoji Asai
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Patent number: 8666607Abstract: In a vehicle including a VGRS actuator capable of changing the steering transmission ratio by rotating an upper steering shaft and a lower steering shaft relative to each other, an ECU performs a lock releasing process when the VGRS motor is locked. In the process, an actual steering angle is calculated, and is compared with a lock release threshold value that is set in advance in view of the axial force applied to the lower steering shaft during steering. If the actual steering angle is equal to or smaller than the lock release threshold value, the ECU performs driving control of a lock mechanism so as to release the locked state of the VGRS motor.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2009Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Takahiro Kojo
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Publication number: 20140039763Abstract: Lane keeping control is ended in accurate timing which does not give an uncomfortable feeling to a driver. In a vehicle 10 which is provided with a steering mechanism 200, an EPS actuator 300, and a VGRS actuator 500 and which can change a rudder angle regardless of a driver's steering input due to the cooperative control of the aforementioned mechanism and actuators, an ECU 100 performs LKA end control. In the control, in cases where a winker lever 16 is operated in a period of performing LKA control for making the vehicle 10 follow a target driving route, if the indicated direction of the winker lever 16 is different from a generation direction of generating an assist steering torque TA of the EPS actuator 300 in the LKA control, the LKA control is promptly ended. In cases where the indicated direction is equal to the generation direction, if a steering angle MAdrv corresponding to the driver's steering input exceeds a steering angle MAlka generated by the LKA control, the LKA control is ended.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2013Publication date: February 6, 2014Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshitaka FUJITA, Takahiro KOJO
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Patent number: 8626392Abstract: A vehicle driving control apparatus is provided at least with: a rudder angle varying device capable of changing a relation between a steering angle, which is a rotation angle of a steering input shaft, and a rudder angle, which is a rotation angle of steered wheels; and a trajectory controlling device for controlling the rudder angle varying device such that a trajectory of a vehicle approaches a target driving route of the vehicle. The vehicle driving control apparatus is further provided with a changing device for changing responsiveness of control by the trajectory controlling device when there is a steering input given to the steering input shaft through a steering wheel by a driver of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2010Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Takahiro Kojo
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Patent number: 8612095Abstract: A vehicle driving control apparatus is provided at least with: a rudder angle varying device capable of changing a relation between a steering angle, which is a rotation angle of a steering input shaft, and a rudder angle, which is a rotation angle of steered wheels; and a trajectory controlling device for determining a control amount and controlling the rudder angle varying device such that a trajectory of a vehicle approaches a target driving route of the vehicle. The vehicle driving control apparatus is further provided with a correcting device for correcting (i) a rate of change in the rudder angle with respect to a steering amount of the steering input or (ii) the determined control amount, in accordance with whether or not a steering direction of the steering input inputted to the steering input shaft through a steering member by a driver of the vehicle is identical with a rudder angle control direction of the control amount determined by the trajectory controlling device.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2010Date of Patent: December 17, 2013Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takahiro Kojo, Yoshiaki Tsuchiya, Theerawat Limpibunterng
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Publication number: 20130311045Abstract: A vehicle steering control apparatus in a vehicle, which is provided with: a tire steer angle varying apparatus which is configured to change a tire steer angle independently of steering wheel operation; and a tire steer angle equivalent value detecting device which is configured to detect a tire steer angle equivalent value corresponding to the tire steer angle, is provided with: a learning device which is configured to learn a steering wheel angle neutral point; an abnormality determining device which is configured to determine whether or not the tire steer angle equivalent value detecting device is in an abnormal state; a disregarding device which is configured to disregard the learned steering wheel angle neutral point if it is determined that the tire steer angle equivalent value detecting device is in the abnormal state; a controlling device which is configured to control the tire steer angle varying apparatus such that the tire steer angle is returned to a tire steer angle neutral point if it is determType: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2010Publication date: November 21, 2013Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Mitsutaka Tanimoto, Takahiro Kojo, Yoshiaki Tsuchiya, Yoshitaka Fujita
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Patent number: 8589028Abstract: Lane keeping control is ended in accurate timing which does not give an uncomfortable feeling to a driver. In a vehicle 10 which is provided with a steering mechanism 200, an EPS actuator 300, and a VGRS actuator 500 and which can change a rudder angle regardless of a driver's steering input due to the cooperative control of the aforementioned mechanism and actuators, an ECU 100 performs LKA end control. In the control, in cases where a winker lever 16 is operated in a period of performing LKA control for making the vehicle 10 follow a target driving route, if the indicated direction of the winker lever 16 is different from a generation direction of generating an assist steering torque TA of the EPS actuator 300 in the LKA control, the LKA control is promptly ended. In cases where the indicated direction is equal to the generation direction, if a steering angle MAdrv corresponding to the driver's steering input exceeds a steering angle MAlka generated by the LKA control, the LKA control is ended.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2009Date of Patent: November 19, 2013Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshitaka Fujita, Takahiro Kojo
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Patent number: 8565974Abstract: In view of the matter that an abnormality occurred in an operating portion of a control system comes out in an early stage as a result of the control, while it takes a time for an abnormality occurred in the generation of a controlling amount for controlling the operation of an operating portion to come out, in ceasing the control when an abnormality has occurred in the control system the controlling amount is decreased at a higher speed when the abnormality of the controlling amount was judged than a speed at which the operation of the operating device is decreased when the abnormality of the operating device was judged.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2005Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Advics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Takahiro Kojo, Masato Suzumura, Yoshiaki Tsuchiya, Kenji Asano
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Patent number: 8565976Abstract: An object of the present invention is to cover a drop in turning responsiveness of a vehicle to a driver's steering operation caused by a limit on the operating speed of a steerable wheel turning unit by a turn assist yaw moment independent of turn lateral forces of steerable wheels to thereby prevent the drop in turning responsiveness of the vehicle when the operating speed of the steerable wheel turning unit is limited. A vehicle travel control device comprises a steerable wheel turning unit capable of turning steerable wheels to steer independently of steering of a driver and a braking unit as a turn assist yaw moment generating means capable of generating a turn assist yaw moment independently of turn lateral forces of the steerable wheels.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2008Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takahiro Kojo, Theerawat Limpibunterng
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Publication number: 20130253770Abstract: A vehicle motion control apparatus which is configured to control a motion of a vehicle comprising a plurality of apparatuses, each of which is configured to selectively control a slip angle or a yaw rate, is provided with: a behavior controlling device which is configured to perform behavior control in which a plurality of apparatuses are controlled such that a slip angle and a yaw rate are a set target slip angle and a target yaw rate, respectively; a turning state quantity specifying device which is configured to specify a turning state quantity of the vehicle; and a selecting device which is configured to select at least one of the slip angle and the yaw rate to be prioritized, on the basis of the specified turning state quantity in a case where the behavior control needs to be performed by one of the plurality of apparatuses.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2010Publication date: September 26, 2013Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Norihisa Nishikawa, Mitsutaka Tanimoto, Yoshitaka Fujita, Toru Takashima, Tetsuhiro Narita, Go Inoue, Takahiro Kojo
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Patent number: 8511420Abstract: A vehicle steering control device includes an electric power steering unit, a steering ratio varying unit which drives an output member relative to an input member driven by steering operation of a driver to vary a steering ratio, and a control unit which controls the steering ratio varying unit. The control unit decreases in magnitude the relative drive velocity of the output member driven by the steering ratio varying unit relative to the input member when the magnitude of a difference between the maximum value of the steering drive velocity range of said steerable wheels which allows said power steering unit to generate a required steering assisting power and an actual steering drive velocity of said steerable wheels is small in contrast to the large difference.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2008Date of Patent: August 20, 2013Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takahiro Kojo, Theerawat Limpibunterng
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Publication number: 20130177211Abstract: A characteristic point extraction section acquires an image captured by an image capture device and extracts characteristic points from the captured image, a vehicle lane boundary point selection section selects vehicle lane boundary points that indicate vehicle lanes from the extracted characteristic points, a distribution determination section determines the distribution of the vehicle lane boundary points, a system noise setting section sets each system noise based on the distribution of vehicle lane boundary points, and a travel path parameter estimation section stably predicts travel path parameters based on the vehicle lane boundary points, past estimation results, and the system noise that has been set.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2011Publication date: July 11, 2013Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Akihiro Watanabe, Takahiro Kojo, Theerawat Limpibunterng, Yoshiaki Tsuchiya
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Patent number: 8478487Abstract: In the control device for vehicles which executes a control of the vehicle by one calculation control device based upon a target control amount generated by another calculation control device connected to the one calculation control device by way of a communication means, the other calculation control device calculates an estimated target control amount by itself to compare it with the target control amount generated by the one calculation control device and input thereto by way of the communication means, or a third calculation control device compares the target control amounts generated by the one and the other calculation control devices and input thereto by way of the communication means, thereby to judge if an abnormality has occurred in the communication means, and to rapidly modify the control to make a counter-measure against the abnormality.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2005Date of Patent: July 2, 2013Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takahiro Kojo, Yoshiaki Tsuchiya, Masato Suzumura, Jun Sakugawa, Kenji Asano
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Publication number: 20130124045Abstract: A vehicle steering control apparatus (100) in a vehicle (10), which is provided with: a steering system including at least a rudder angle varying device (400, 700) capable of changing a relation between a steering angle, which is a rotation angle of a steering wheel (12), and a rudder angle of steered wheels and a steering torque assisting device (500) capable of assisting a driver steering torque; and a power supply source (800) for supplying electric power to the steering system, is provided with: a limiting device for limiting electric current consumption of the steering torque assisting device if a consumption current value of the steering system is greater than a maximum allowable current value in a case where supply capacity of supplying an electric current in the power supply source is reduced with respect to a reference; and a controlling device for matching a neutral position of the steering wheel with a neutral position of the steered wheels in a situation in which the electric current consumption oType: ApplicationFiled: June 1, 2011Publication date: May 16, 2013Inventors: Yoshiaki Suzuki, Theerawat Limpibunterng, Toru Takashima, Takahiro Kojo, Taro Hirose, Yoshiaki Tsuchiya, Masahiro Miyata, Susumu Fujii
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Publication number: 20120221208Abstract: A device (100) for controlling a steering transmission ratio variable device (200), which is provided with: a motor (202), which is able to apply a driving force that promotes relative rotation between a steering output shaft (15) coupled to wheels to be turned and a steering input shaft (12) that applies a steering input to the steering output shaft (15) to one of either the steering output shaft (15) or the steering input shaft (12); a motor driving device (300) that drives the motor; and a locking device vice (203) that is able to restrict the relative rotation, has a setting device that prescribes a drive voltage (V) of the motor and sets a damping gain (D2), which acts in a direction that reduces a rotating speed (??act) of the motor, to a value (D2lock) that is larger than a reference value (D2base) corresponding to an unlocked state during a locking control period in which a state of the steering transmission ratio variable device switches from an unlocked state in which the relative rotation is not reType: ApplicationFiled: November 18, 2010Publication date: August 30, 2012Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takahiro Kojo, Yoshiaki Tsuchiya, Noritsugu Iwazaki, Tetsuya Morino
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Publication number: 20120203431Abstract: A vehicle driving control apparatus is provided at least with: a rudder angle varying device capable of changing a relation between a steering angle, which is a rotation angle of a steering input shaft, and a rudder angle, which is a rotation angle of steered wheels; and a trajectory controlling device for determining a control amount and controlling the rudder angle varying device such that a trajectory of a vehicle approaches a target driving route of the vehicle. The vehicle driving control apparatus is further provided with a correcting device for correcting (i) a rate of change in the rudder angle with respect to a steering amount of the steering input or (ii) the determined control amount, in accordance with whether or not a steering direction of the steering input inputted to the steering input shaft through a steering member by a driver of the vehicle is identical with a rudder angle control direction of the control amount determined by the trajectory controlling device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2010Publication date: August 9, 2012Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takahiro Kojo, Yoshiaki Tsuchiya, Theerawat Limpibunterng
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Patent number: 8229629Abstract: A vehicle steering control system that controls the operation of an electric vehicle steering device, which applies a steering assist force to a steering mechanism via a gear mechanism and includes: a temperature estimating section for estimating the temperature of or around the gear mechanism; and a correcting section for correcting the steering assist force according to the estimated gear temperature.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2007Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Theerawat Limpibunterng, Takahiro Kojo
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Publication number: 20120123643Abstract: A driving support apparatus of a vehicle supports driving of the vehicle, the vehicle includes a rudder angle varying device capable of changing a relative relation between a steering angle and a rudder angle. The driving support apparatus includes a following control device for controlling the rudder angle varying device such that the vehicle follows a target driving route; a steering angle specifying device for specifying the steering angle; and a judging device for judging whether or not overriding performed by a driver takes place on the basis of the specified steering angle and a reference steering angle which is the steering angle in making the vehicle follow the target driving route. The following control device stops the vehicle following for the target driving route if it is judged that the overriding takes place.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2010Publication date: May 17, 2012Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Theerawat Limpibuntering, Takahiro Kojo, Hirofumi Nitta, Shoji Asai