Patents by Inventor Takanori MORIMOTO

Takanori MORIMOTO 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: 20250143199
    Abstract: A working vehicle is a working vehicle to perform automatic operation including doing work at an agricultural field using a working device, including a setter configured or programmed to set a first threshold for the automatic operation and a second threshold for remote operation controlled by a remote controller, and a controller configured or programmed to cause the working vehicle to stop traveling if a tilt angle of the working vehicle reaches the first threshold during the automatic operation or the second threshold during the remote operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2024
    Publication date: May 8, 2025
    Inventors: Yuta KUSAKARI, Sho WATANABE, Takanori MORIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20250143198
    Abstract: A working vehicle is a working vehicle to perform automatic operation including doing work at an agricultural field using a working device, including a border-crossing prevention controller configured or programmed to prohibit the working vehicle from traveling beyond a borderline of the agricultural field, a determiner configured or programmed to determine whether or not to permit a cross-border state in which the working vehicle remotely operated by a remote controller crosses the borderline, a border-crossing permitter configured or programmed to permit the cross-border state if the determiner determines to permit the cross-border state, and a limiter configured or programmed to limit content of an operation of the working vehicle in the cross-border state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2024
    Publication date: May 8, 2025
    Inventors: Yuta KUSAKARI, Sho WATANABE, Takanori MORIMOTO
  • Patent number: 12279542
    Abstract: A working machine includes a vehicle body to which a working device is connectable, a driving estimator to estimate whether the vehicle body is drivable along a road based on a road condition and a device condition, a controller to control a driving operation of the vehicle body based on an estimation result obtained by the driving estimator, and a communicator to transmit to an external device driving information regarding driving the vehicle body under control of the controller. The controller is configured or programmed to drive the vehicle body based on a command received from the external device after transmission of the driving information from the communicator to the external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Susumu Umemoto, Yushi Matsuzaki, Shinnosuke Ishikawa, Takanori Morimoto
  • Patent number: 12274190
    Abstract: A working machine includes a machine body, a lifting device to link a working device to the machine body, the lifting device being capable of moving up and down with the working device between a grounding state in which the working device is in contact with a ground and an ungrounding state in which the working device is out of contact with the ground, and an automatic travel controller to cause the machine body to perform automatic travel according to a planned travel route. The automatic travel controller includes a lifting controller to control the lifting device to move up with the working device from the grounding state to the ungrounding state, and cause the machine body to turn or travel rearward after the lifting controller controls the lifting device to move up with the working device from the grounding state to the ungrounding state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fumiya Yoshimura, Kotaro Yamaguchi, Kenji Tamatani, Takanori Morimoto, Ken Sakuta
  • Patent number: 12274191
    Abstract: A travel control system includes a permission unit that permits outermost periphery automatic traveling if predetermined permission conditions are satisfied. The permission conditions include a first condition and a second condition. The first condition is that a reference value corresponding to a working width W1 of a work device 30 is larger than a lateral width W2 of the work device. The second condition is that the reference value is larger than a threshold value determined by a threshold value determination unit. The threshold value determination unit determines the threshold value based on a reference distance D1 between a front end position of a work vehicle 1 and a reference position SP at which the work device 30 is switched from a working state to a non-working state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Takanori Morimoto, Kotaro Yamaguchi, Ryota Kikuchi, Ken Sakuta, Fumiya Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 12274192
    Abstract: A communication system for an agricultural machine includes an information terminal to transmit first information to an agricultural machine, a first communicator provided in or on an unmanned aerial vehicle to receive the first information transmitted from the information terminal, and a second communicator provided in or on the agricultural machine to receive the first information transmitted to the first communicator. The second communicator is operable to transmit second information about the agricultural machine to the first communicator, and the first communicator is operable to transmit the second information to the information terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro Kinoshita, Takanori Morimoto, Shinnosuke Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 12268113
    Abstract: An agricultural machine includes a vehicle body, a travel switch operable to issue a command to start autonomous travel of the vehicle body, and an autonomous travel controller to perform autonomous travel of the vehicle body based on a planned travel line when the command is issued. When the command is issued by operating the travel switch, if at least one of a positional deviation between the planned travel line that is selected and the vehicle body and an orientational deviation between the planned travel line and an orientation of the vehicle body is greater than or equal to a corresponding one of respective first thresholds, the autonomous travel controller is configured or programmed to perform line alignment to make the positional deviation and the orientational deviation less than the respective first thresholds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takanori Morimoto, Yusuke Takahashi, Yusuke Minakata, Kanta Nakaguchi
  • Patent number: 12263970
    Abstract: An agricultural machine includes a traveling vehicle body, a coupler to couple a working implement with the traveling vehicle body, and a takeoff/landing station to restrict a skid of an unmanned aerial vehicle when the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off or lands. The agricultural machine includes a protector to protect an operator's seat. The takeoff/landing station is provided on the protector. The takeoff/landing station is attached to the protector and includes an arm extending in a horizontal direction when the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off or lands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro Kinoshita, Takanori Morimoto, Susumu Umemoto, Shinnosuke Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 12262655
    Abstract: An agricultural machine includes a vehicle body, an obstacle detector to detect obstacles, an autonomous travel controller to perform autonomous travel of the vehicle body, the autonomous travel controller being configured or programmed to, when performing the autonomous travel, stop the vehicle body based on detection information about an obstacle detected by the obstacle detector, and a mode switch to switch a mode during the autonomous travel in an agricultural field between an effective mode in which the stopping of the vehicle body based on the detection information is allowed and an ineffective mode in which the stopping of the vehicle body based on the detection information is not allowed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koichi Shintani, Takanori Morimoto, Tomohiro Kinoshita, Ken Sakuta, Fumiya Yoshimura, Tsuyoshi Harada, Sho Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20250008858
    Abstract: An agricultural work assistance system includes a route creator to create a traveling route for an agricultural machine, and a mode selector to select either a first priority mode in which priority is placed on improving performance of agricultural work or a second priority mode in which priority is placed on improving efficiency of the agricultural work. The route creator creates the traveling route so that, in a virtual work state in which the working device virtually performs the agricultural work while the agricultural machine virtually travels on the traveling route, the agricultural machine is prevented from entering one of a virtual finished region and a virtual unfinished region if the first priority mode is selected, and so that, in the virtual work state, the agricultural machine is allowed to enter the virtual finished region and enter the virtual unfinished region if the second priority mode is selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2024
    Publication date: January 9, 2025
    Inventors: Takanori MORIMOTO, Kotaro YAMAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 12127493
    Abstract: A working machine includes a machine body capable of traveling, a position detector to detect a position of the machine body, and a controller to control the machine body based on the position of the machine body detected by the position detector and a planned travel route. The planned travel route includes a straight section on which the machine body travels straight, and the controller includes a threshold setter to set a threshold according to work, and causes the machine body to perform a recovery movement to make a deviation between the position of the machine body detected by the position detector and the planned travel route less than the threshold when the machine body is at a start point of the straight section or is about to enter the start point of the straight section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fumiya Yoshimura, Kotaro Yamaguchi, Kenji Tamatani, Takanori Morimoto, Ken Sakuta
  • Publication number: 20240334861
    Abstract: An agricultural work assistance system includes an input to input dimension information of a working device coupled to an agricultural machine and a work condition for performing agricultural work on an agricultural field by the agricultural machine and the working device, a route creator to create a traveling route of the agricultural machine on a map indicative of the agricultural field on the basis of the dimension information of the working device and the work condition, an output to output the traveling route, and a dimension determiner to receive the dimension information of the working device input by the input, determine whether the dimension information satisfies a predetermined restriction condition according to a kind of agricultural work performed by the working device, and refuse to receive the dimension information in a case where it is determined that the dimension information does not satisfy the restriction condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2024
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Inventors: Ryo KUBOSHIMA, Takanori MORIMOTO, Ken SAKUTA, Kanta NAKAGUCHI, Binyi WU
  • Publication number: 20240324487
    Abstract: In an agricultural work assistance system, a coupler couples a working device to an agricultural machine. A controller is configured or programmed to control automatic traveling or steering of the agricultural machine to enable the working device to perform agricultural work on an agricultural field. A first operating device in the agricultural machine is operable to cause the working device to work. A second operating device outside the agricultural machine is operable to cause the working device to work. A first detector is operable to detect whether a user is on the agricultural machine. While the first detector detects the user on the agricultural machine, the working device can work according to operation of the first operating device and operation of the second operating device is disabled. While the first detector detects no user on the agricultural machine, the working device can work according to operation of the second operating device and operation of the first operating device is disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2024
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Inventors: Takanori MORIMOTO, Kotaro YAMAGUCHI, Kenji TAMATANI, Ken SAKUTA, Fumiya YOSHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20240180062
    Abstract: An agricultural assistance system includes a sensor in or on an unmanned aerial vehicle to perform sensing of a shape of an agricultural field when the unmanned aerial vehicle flies over the agricultural field, and a line creator configured or programmed to create a planned travel line for automatic operation of an agricultural machine. The line creator is configured or programmed to acquire the shape of the agricultural field obtained by the sensing before the automatic operation of the agricultural machine, and create the planned travel line on a virtual field representing the acquired shape of the agricultural field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2024
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventors: Takanori MORIMOTO, Tomohiro KINOSHITA, Shinnosuke ISHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20240099176
    Abstract: An automatic travel system includes a prohibition boundary line setter to set a prohibition boundary line beyond which the vehicle is prohibited from entering, a turning circle setter to set a virtual turning circle as a target route for entry turning travel to enter a subsequent travel route, a transition turning travel controller to control tangent following travel using a vehicle body reference point that is calculated during travel to the virtual turning circle as a target orientation, and the entry turning travel using the virtual turning circle as a turning target route, an interference boundary line detector to detect the prohibition boundary line that is present in a moving direction of the vehicle in the tangent following travel, as an interference boundary line, and an interference avoidance travel controller to control travel for avoiding interference with the interference boundary line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Inventors: Takanori MORIMOTO, Kotaro YAMAGUCHI, Fumiya YOSHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20240081167
    Abstract: An agricultural work assistance system includes a display to display a map representing an agricultural field, and a controller configured or programmed to define or function as an area setter to set a first area and a second area located inward of the first area in the map displayed by the display, and a route creator to create, in at least one of the first area or the second area, a travel route along which an agricultural machine is to travel. The route creator is configured or programmed to set at least a portion of the travel route as an automatic steering route on which the agricultural machine is to be automatically steered and a travel speed of the agricultural machine is to be changed manually.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Takanori MORIMOTO, Takafumi MORISHITA, Kenji TAMATANI, Fumiya YOSHIMURA, Ryota KIKUCHI, Ken SAKUTA
  • Publication number: 20240069557
    Abstract: A cultivated land work vehicle includes a vehicle position computer, a travel controller to control travel of the body based on a vehicle position and target routes, and a replenishment mode executor to execute a replenishment travel mode to replenish the cultivated land work vehicle with agricultural material, during U-turn transition travel. In a first replenishment travel mode, reverse travel into the boundary area is performed after a starting point of the next travel route his reached, and forward travel to the starting point of the next travel route his performed after replenishment work is complete. In a second replenishment travel mode, reverse travel into the boundary area is performed before the starting point of the next travel route is reached, and forward travel to the starting point of the next travel route is performed after the replenishment work is complete.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Takanori MORIMOTO, Kotaro YAMAGUCHI, Fumiya YOSHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20230320247
    Abstract: A communication system for an agricultural machine includes an information terminal to transmit first information to an agricultural machine, a first communicator provided in or on an unmanned aerial vehicle to receive the first information transmitted from the information terminal, and a second communicator provided in or on the agricultural machine to receive the first information transmitted to the first communicator. The second communicator is operable to transmit second information about the agricultural machine to the first communicator, and the first communicator is operable to transmit the second information to the information terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Tomohiro KINOSHITA, Takanori MORIMOTO, Shinnosuke ISHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20230322423
    Abstract: An agricultural support system includes an unmanned aerial vehicle including a sensor, and an agricultural machine to travel in an agricultural field. When an abnormality occurs in the unmanned aerial vehicle while the agricultural machine performs work in the agricultural field in cooperation with the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle or the agricultural machine performs an operation different from an operation during the work.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Tomohiro KINOSHITA, Takanori MORIMOTO, Susumu UMEMOTO, Shinnosuke ISHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20230312146
    Abstract: An agricultural machine includes a traveling vehicle body, a coupler to couple a working implement with the traveling vehicle body, and a takeoff/landing station to restrict a skid of an unmanned aerial vehicle when the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off or lands. The agricultural machine includes a protector to protect an operator's seat. The takeoff/landing station is provided on the protector. The takeoff/landing station is attached to the protector and includes an arm extending in a horizontal direction when the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off or lands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Tomohiro KINOSHITA, Takanori MORIMOTO, Susumu UMEMOTO, Shinnosuke ISHIKAWA