Patents by Inventor Tomohiro Usami

Tomohiro Usami 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: 20170356508
    Abstract: In a drive unit attached to a vehicle-body frame of an electric-motor-assisted bicycle including a one-way clutch including an outer member, an inner member, a plurality of clutch lugs, a plurality of springs, and a plurality of pins. Clutch teeth are located on one of an inner peripheral portion of the outer member and an outer peripheral portion of the inner member. The clutch lugs and the springs are located on the other of the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion. A number of the clutch lugs is an even number not smaller than four. A number of the clutch teeth is an even number that is not a multiple of the number of the clutch lugs. A number of the springs is half the number of clutch lugs. Each spring exerts a biasing force on two of the clutch lugs that are circumferentially adjacent. Each pin is in contact with one of the springs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventor: Tomohiro USAMI
  • Publication number: 20170349048
    Abstract: A power source system includes a first power source, a second power source, a Direct Current to Direct Current converter, a first load including a vehicle control device configured to perform predetermined control regarding at least one of traveling, steering, and braking of the vehicle regardless of a driving operation performed by a driver of the vehicle, and an electric actuator as a control target of the vehicle control device, and connected to the first path so as to be supplied with power from the first power source, and a power source control device configured to control an operation of the Direct Current to Direct Current converter such that power is supplied to the first path from the second power source in a case where the predetermined control is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shu NAKAYAMA, Isao YONEYAMA, Tomohiro USAMI, Yasuharu TERADA
  • Patent number: 9834278
    Abstract: In a drive unit in an electric-motor-assisted bicycle, as viewed in an axial direction of the crank axle, a substrate housed in a housing does not overlap a reduction gear but overlaps a driven gear. The substrate is disposed around the crank axle and includes a component side extending in a direction crossing the central axis of the crank axle. The substrate extends in directions crossing radial directions of the crank axle. One end of the substrate in the direction in which the substrate extends is located on the side of the straight line connecting the shaft center of the crank axle and the shaft center of the motor output shaft as viewed in the axial direction, that is opposite to the side having the other end of the substrate in the direction in which the substrate extends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masatsugu Uda, Ryota Suzuki, Yasunori Mano, Tomohiro Usami
  • Publication number: 20170313383
    Abstract: In a drive unit in an electric-motor-assisted bicycle, as viewed in an axial direction of the crank axle, a substrate housed in a housing does not overlap a reduction gear but overlaps a driven gear. The substrate is disposed around the crank axle and includes a component side extending in a direction crossing the central axis of the crank axle. The substrate extends in directions crossing radial directions of the crank axle. One end of the substrate in the direction in which the substrate extends is located on the side of the straight line connecting the shaft center of the crank axle and the shaft center of the motor output shaft as viewed in the axial direction, that is opposite to the side having the other end of the substrate in the direction in which the substrate extends.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Masatsugu UDA, Ryota SUZUKI, Yasunori MANO, Tomohiro USAMI
  • Publication number: 20170289511
    Abstract: An illuminating device includes: a light source emitting excitation light; a wheel including a wheel substrate transmitting the excitation light and an illuminating light generating member provided on the first surface of the wheel substrate to generate illuminating light by the excitation light; a photo detector, arranged on the second surface side that is opposite to the first surface of the wheel substrate, detects light that passed through the wheel; and a control unit that determines whether a defect or degeneration has occurred in the illuminating light generating member, based on the light detected by the photo detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventor: Tomohiro USAMI
  • Publication number: 20170197565
    Abstract: A power source system includes: a main-power source; a first load connected in parallel to the main-power source; a second load connected in parallel to the main-power source, the second load being higher in an actuation priority than the first load; a sub-power source connected in parallel to the first load and the second load; a first detection unit configured to detect output electric power of the main-power source; and a control unit configured to supply electric power from the sub-power source more to the second load than to the first load, when the output electric power of the main-power source is less than required electric power of the second load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Publication date: July 13, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Isao YONEYAMA, Tomohiro USAMI
  • Patent number: 9610934
    Abstract: It is provided a control device of a hybrid vehicle including a plurality of drive power sources for running including an electric motor driven by electric energy of an electric storage device, the hybrid vehicle configured to perform motor running or assist running using the electric motor for running, the control device being configured to divide a running road acquired from map data into a plurality of sections and stores a change amount of a charged capacity of the electric storage device for each of the divided sections, to acquire all possibly-traveled running routes within a predetermined distance from a current position of the vehicle based on the map data, to calculate a variation characteristic of the charged capacity in correlation with a distance from the current position for each of the running routes based on the change amount of the charged capacity, if it is determined from the variation characteristic of the charged capacity that the possibly-traveled running routes include at least one runni
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Tomohiro Usami, Mariko Kanai
  • Patent number: 9590515
    Abstract: There is provided a electric power conversion method of an electric power conversion apparatus comprising: charging the capacitor by transmitting the electric power from the primary circuit to the secondary circuit; and determining whether a voltage across the capacitor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; the electric power conversion method further comprising, upon determining that the voltage across the capacitor is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, stopping to drive the primary circuit; driving the first secondary upper arm or the second secondary upper arm; and detecting whether a short-circuiting failure occurs in the first secondary lower arm or in the second secondary lower arm based on a presence or absence of change in a voltage at the secondary port in response to driving the first secondary upper arm or the second secondary upper arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Kazuyuki Sasaki, Tomohiro Usami
  • Patent number: 9559603
    Abstract: A power converter including: a transformer; a primary-side full-bridge circuit including a primary-side coil of the transformer and a magnetically-coupled reactor, in which two reactors connected to both ends of the primary-side coil are magnetically coupled; a first port connected to a positive electrode bus bar of the primary-side full-bridge circuit; a second port connected to a tap of the primary-side coil; a secondary-side full-bridge circuit including a secondary-side coil of the transformer; a third port connected to a positive electrode bus bar of the secondary-side full-bridge circuit; a first search coil wound around a core of the magnetically-coupled reactor; a second search coil wound around a core of the transformer; and a detection circuit detecting voltages of the first port and the third port by measuring a variation in a sense voltage generated by combining voltages of the first search coil and the second search coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro Usami
  • Publication number: 20160190944
    Abstract: There is provided a electric power conversion method of an electric power conversion apparatus comprising: charging the capacitor by transmitting the electric power from the primary circuit to the secondary circuit; and determining whether a voltage across the capacitor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; the electric power conversion method further comprising, upon determining that the voltage across the capacitor is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, stopping to drive the primary circuit; driving the first secondary upper arm or the second secondary upper arm; and detecting whether a short-circuiting failure occurs in the first secondary lower arm or in the second secondary lower arm based on a presence or absence of change in a voltage at the secondary port in response to driving the first secondary upper arm or the second secondary upper arm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Kazuyuki Sasaki, Tomohiro Usami
  • Publication number: 20160149503
    Abstract: A power converter including: a transformer; a primary-side full-bridge circuit including a primary-side coil of the transformer and a magnetically-coupled reactor, in which two reactors connected to both ends of the primary-side coil are magnetically coupled; a first port connected to a positive electrode bus bar of the primary-side full-bridge circuit; a second port connected to a tap of the primary-side coil; a secondary-side full-bridge circuit including a secondary-side coil of the transformer; a third port connected to a positive electrode bus bar of the secondary-side full-bridge circuit; a first search coil wound around a core of the magnetically-coupled reactor; a second search coil wound around a core of the transformer; and a detection circuit detecting voltages of the first port and the third port by measuring a variation in a sense voltage generated by combining voltages of the first search coil and the second search coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro USAMI
  • Publication number: 20140159886
    Abstract: A vehicle operator assisting apparatus is configured to assist an operator of an own vehicle by displaying an image of a virtual preceding vehicle visually recognizable by the operator as if the virtual preceding vehicle was running in front of said own vehicle in a running state. The assisting apparatus comprises: a history data base storing a driving history of said operator; a virtual preceding vehicle control portion determining a running state of said virtual proceeding vehicle based on said driving history generating portion generating a relationship between a distance between said own vehicle and an actual preceding vehicle, and a running speed of said own vehicle, and storing the relationship in said history database. Said virtual preceding vehicle control portion includes a driving characteristics extracting portion determining a distance between said own vehicle and said virtual preceding vehicle based on said relationship.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 4, 2011
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto Hasegawa, Shoichi Shono, Yoshikazu Motozono, Masao Omura, Akihiro Ueda, Yasuhiro Tajima, Tomohiro Usami, Mitsuhiro Miura
  • Patent number: 8676495
    Abstract: When a vehicle state changes from an off-road state (STEP S1) in which a current position of a vehicle is not represented in map information to an on-road state in which the current position of the vehicle is represented by the map information, a vehicle navigation apparatus records as the past arrived position an off-road position in a state changed from an on-road state to an off-road state (STEP S6), under the conditions that: the vehicle is parked in the off-road state (STEP S3); an identifier of a road at the off-road position is identical to an identifier of a road at the on-road position (STEP S4); and a traveling direction of the vehicle on the road before the off-road state is opposite to a traveling direction of the vehicle on the road after the on-road state (STEP S5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mituhiro Miura, Tomohiro Usami, Mariko Fujita
  • Publication number: 20130332020
    Abstract: It is provided a control device of a hybrid vehicle including a plurality of drive power sources for running including an electric motor driven by electric energy of an electric storage device, the hybrid vehicle configured to perform motor running or assist running using the electric motor for running, the control device being configured to divide a running road acquired from map data into a plurality of sections and stores a change amount of a charged capacity of the electric storage device for each of the divided sections, to acquire all possibly-traveled running routes within a predetermined distance from a current position of the vehicle based on the map data, to calculate a variation characteristic of the charged capacity in correlation with a distance from the current position for each of the running routes based on the change amount of the charged capacity, if it is determined from the variation characteristic of the charged capacity that the possibly-traveled running routes include at least one runni
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Tomohiro Usami, Mariko Kanai
  • Publication number: 20110307152
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle travel control device capable of controlling acceleration and deceleration without causing a driver to feel uncomfortable. The vehicle travel control device includes: a vehicle deceleration control section which operates at least two of a throttle control section, a downshifting control section, and a brake control section on the basis of target deceleration; a target deceleration setting section which sets the target deceleration; and changing means for changing the operation order of the throttle control section, the downshifting control section, and the brake control section according to the target deceleration set by the target deceleration setting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2009
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoichi Shono, Tomohiro Usami, Yoshikazu Motozono
  • Patent number: 6734589
    Abstract: The invention provides an electric motor in which a cost is reduced by reducing a number of the parts, and an electric motor in which a freedom of placement is increased. A motor assembly has a yoke and a front bracket closing an open end of the yoke. The front bracket is formed in a closed-end cylindrical shape by an aluminum die casting, and a brush holder for holding a brush is received in an inner portion. A motor controller for controlling the motor assembly is formed as an electronic circuit having a communication portion, a control portion and a driver portion, and this electronic circuit is mounted on an inner peripheral surface of the front bracket. Further, the electronic circuit constituting the motor controller may be mounted on the brush holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Kogure, Iwao Tsurubuchi, Wataru Mochizuki, Atsushi Maeda, Fumiaki Koshio, Tomohiro Usami, Yoshinari Tabuki
  • Publication number: 20020167238
    Abstract: The invention provides an electric motor in which a cost is reduced by reducing a number of the parts, and an electric motor in which a freedom of placement is increased. A motor assembly has a yoke and a front bracket closing an open end of the yoke. The front bracket is formed in a closed-end cylindrical shape by an aluminum die casting, and a brush holder for holding a brush is received in an inner portion. A motor controller for controlling the motor assembly is formed as an electronic circuit having a communication portion, a control portion and a driver portion, and this electronic circuit is mounted on an inner peripheral surface of the front bracket. Further, the electronic circuit constituting the motor controller may be mounted on the brush holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2002
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Inventors: Satoshi Kogure, Iwao Tsurubuchi, Wataru Mochizuki, Atsushi Maeda, Fumiaki Koshio, Tomohiro Usami, Yoshinari Tabuki