Patents by Inventor Toshiaki Niwa

Toshiaki Niwa 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).

  • Patent number: 9889828
    Abstract: There are provided a deceleration end location storage system that can appropriately store a deceleration end location at which a vehicle ends deceleration in decelerating action even for a road on which the content of the decelerating action tends to vary because of a disturbance such as a road with a large amount of traffic, and a drive assist system, a drive assist method, and a computer program that can provide appropriate drive assistance for a vehicle on the basis of stored deceleration end locations. In the case where a vehicle performs decelerating action, a deceleration end location at which the vehicle ends deceleration in the decelerating action is specified. A variation range that matches the road type of a road on which the deceleration end location is provided is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignees: AISIN AW CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiaki Niwa, Takashi Fukukawa, Tomoki Kodan, Kuniaki Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20170343042
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a fluid dynamic bearing device, the method involving: forming an axial clearance 14 having a clearance width ? equal to a total amount of clearance widths of two thrust bearing clearances ?1, ?2 between a second bearing surface C of a bearing member 22 fixed to an outer periphery of a shaft member 21 and a sealing member 9; relatively moving the shaft member 21, the shaft member 22, and the sealing member 9 with respect to a housing 7 while the clearance width ? of the axial clearance 14 is maintained after forming the axial clearance 14; and fixing the sealing member 9 to the housing 7 at a time when a first thrust bearing surface B of the bearing member 22 comes into contact with a bottom surface 7b of the housing 7.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Daichi KATO, Toshiaki NIWA
  • Patent number: 9469299
    Abstract: Deceleration control systems, methods, and programs acquire from learning information a target deceleration point in front of a traveling vehicle and an associated deceleration end point. The deceleration end point is a point representative of one or more locations at which deceleration of the vehicle or another vehicle was actually completed in the past as the vehicle or the other vehicle approached the associated deceleration end point. The systems, methods, and programs determine a distance between the acquired target deceleration point and the acquired deceleration end point as a predicted distance over which traffic is present. The systems, methods, and programs communicate with a vehicle ECU to perform a deceleration control of the vehicle so that (i) the longer the determined distance, the greater the deceleration rate applied during the deceleration control, and (ii) the deceleration is complete by the time the vehicle reaches the acquired deceleration end point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignees: AISIN AW CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiaki Niwa, Tomoki Kodan, Kuniaki Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20160245658
    Abstract: Support point management systems, methods, and programs acquire a support point registered as a subject of deceleration support and exclude the support point as the subject of deceleration support in a case a vehicle travels on a new road after having traveled through the support point without deceleration at the support point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Applicants: AISIN AW CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiaki NIWA, Tomoki KODAN, Kuniaki TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20160039395
    Abstract: There are provided a deceleration end location storage system that can appropriately store a deceleration end location at which a vehicle ends deceleration in decelerating action even for a road on which the content of the decelerating action tends to vary because of a disturbance such as a road with a large amount of traffic, and a drive assist system, a drive assist method, and a computer program that can provide appropriate drive assistance for a vehicle on the basis of stored deceleration end locations. In the case where a vehicle performs decelerating action, a deceleration end location at which the vehicle ends deceleration in the decelerating action is specified. A variation range that matches the road type of a road on which the deceleration end location is provided is set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiaki NIWA, Takashi FUKUKAWA, Tomoki KODAN, Kuniaki TANAKA
  • Patent number: 9154012
    Abstract: Providing a fluid dynamic bearing device, wherein the outer member comprises a member formed by a pressing process on a plate member, the radial bearing surface and at least the one of the thrust bearing surfaces of the outer member being formed by the pressing process, and wherein at least a part of the inner member, which forms the radial bearing surface and the thrust bearing surfaces of the inner member, is made of a sintered metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaharu Hori, Jun Hirade, Tatsuya Hayashi, Yasuhiro Yamamoto, Natsuhiko Mori, Fuminori Satoji, Toshiaki Niwa, Tetsuya Kurimura, Kimihiko Bito
  • Publication number: 20150057905
    Abstract: Deceleration control systems, methods, and programs acquire from learning information a target deceleration point in front of a traveling vehicle and an associated deceleration end point. The deceleration end point is a point representative of one or more locations at which deceleration of the vehicle or another vehicle was actually completed in the past as the vehicle or the other vehicle approached the associated deceleration end point. The systems, methods, and programs determine a distance between the acquired target deceleration point and the acquired deceleration end point as a predicted distance over which traffic is present. The systems, methods, and programs communicate with a vehicle ECU to perform a deceleration control of the vehicle so that (i) the longer the determined distance, the greater the deceleration rate applied during the deceleration control, and (ii) the deceleration is complete by the time the vehicle reaches the acquired deceleration end point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Toshiaki NIWA, Tomoki KODAN, Kuniaki TANAKA
  • Patent number: 8872675
    Abstract: A vehicular travel guidance apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus includes a map image display unit that displays a map image on a display device and a maximum energy amount acquisition unit that acquires a maximum charging energy amount of an in-vehicle battery. The apparatus further includes a charging facility information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a charging facility capable of charging the in-vehicle battery. Also included is a travelable area acquisition unit that acquires a travelable area, within which the vehicle is able to travel from the charging facility by consuming an energy amount corresponding to a predetermined percentage of the maximum charging energy amount. The apparatus also includes a display mode change unit that varies a display mode of the map image based on the acquired travelable area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshiaki Niwa
  • Patent number: 8725332
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a regenerative charging area detection section, a recovery loss estimation section, and a motor use ratio increase section. The regenerative charging area detection section detects arrival of a regenerative charging possible area in which a regenerative charging from a motor to a battery is possible. The recovery loss estimation section estimates a recovery loss of the regenerative charging based on a regenerative charge amount in the regenerative charging possible area and a current remaining battery amount in response to detection by the regenerative charging area detection section. In response to estimation by the recovery loss estimation section, before the arrival at the regenerative charging possible area, the motor use ratio increase section increases a use ratio of the motor so as to decrease a remaining battery amount while limiting the temperature of the battery to a predetermined temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazunao Yamada, Takashi Naito, Toshiaki Niwa, Masatoshi Takahara, Fumiharu Ogawa, Hideaki Suganuma, Mamoru Kuraishi
  • Patent number: 8710797
    Abstract: Provided is a driving support device and method that includes a charging facility information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a position and a charging capacity of a charging facility that exists within a predetermined distance from a position of a vehicle and a guidance unit that provides information indicating a charging time period at the charging facility based on the position of the vehicle, a registered position, the position and the charging capacity of the charging facility, and a remaining electric power amount of a battery in the vehicle and information indicating a charging time period at the charging facility that is required for traveling a route from the position of the vehicle to the registered position by electric power of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshiaki Niwa
  • Patent number: 8615342
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a road condition acquisition portion (40, 41) that acquires information on an actual road condition; a storage portion (42) where road data is stored; a route setting portion (40) that sets a route to a destination, based on the road data stored in the storage portion (42); a travel pattern setting portion (30) that sets a travel pattern on the route set by the route setting portion (40), based on the road data stored in the storage portion (42); an operation schedule setting portion (30) that sets an operation schedule that is a schedule of operations of the engine and the motor, based on the travel pattern set by the travel pattern setting portion (30); and a control portion (30) that controls the operations of the engine and the motor based on the information on the actual road condition acquired by the road condition acquisition portion (40, 41) and the operation schedule set by the operation schedule setting portion (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Suganuma, Mamoru Kuraishi, Kazunao Yamada, Takashi Naitou, Toshiaki Niwa, Masatoshi Takahara, Fumiharu Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8615350
    Abstract: Guidance devices, methods, and programs acquire a current speed of a vehicle and calculate a regeneration upper limit operation amount of the regenerative brake based on the current speed of the vehicle. The devices, methods, and programs acquire a deceleration target speed, acquire a deceleration target position, calculate a distance to the deceleration target position, and calculate a deceleration required operation amount of the brake pedal required for reducing the current speed of the vehicle to the deceleration target speed at the deceleration target position based on the acquired current speed of the vehicle, the acquired deceleration target speed, and the calculated distance to the deceleration target position. The devices, methods, and programs communicate guidance regarding the operation amount of the brake pedal based on the calculated regeneration upper limit operation amount and the calculated deceleration required operation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirohiko Goto, Toshiaki Niwa
  • Patent number: 8417405
    Abstract: Driving support devices, methods, and programs determine a target position ahead of a vehicle and a target vehicle speed at the target position. The devices, methods, and programs divide a section between a deceleration start position to start deceleration of the vehicle and the target position into a plurality of sections and set target charging electric power to different values for respective sections forming the plurality of sections to reduce a speed of the vehicle to the target vehicle speed at the target position. The devices, methods, and programs control an electric generator installed in the vehicle to generate the regeneration brake in the respective sections forming the plurality of sections based on the set charging electric power values and charge the battery with the target charging electric power generated in each of the respective sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Niwa, Yoshinori Ono
  • Patent number: 8417401
    Abstract: A navigation apparatus for use in a hybrid vehicle in which an engine and a drive motor are used in combination acquires a current SOC value of a battery, geometry of roads around the vehicle, gradient information, traffic information, learning information, and so forth. A travelable range of the vehicle after the battery is charged is calculated for each of a plurality of various charge times on the basis of the acquired information. The plurality of calculated travelable ranges is simultaneously displayed on a liquid crystal display. It is thus possible to display a minimum charge time required to travel to a destination in a manner easily understandable to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignees: Aisin AW Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masatoshi Takahara, Toshiaki Niwa
  • Patent number: 8405345
    Abstract: A site registering device that registers a site allowing charging where a vehicle battery can be charged, the device including: a position acquisition unit that acquires position information on a charging site where charging of the battery has been conducted; and a registering unit that specifies, on the basis of an actual charging result in the charging site, a category to which the charging site belongs among a plurality of categories, associates the charging site with the specified category and the position information, and registers the thus associated charging site as the site allowing charging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Suganuma, Mamoru Kuraishi, Kazunao Yamada, Takashi Naitou, Toshiaki Niwa, Fumiharu Ogawa, Masatoshi Takahara
  • Patent number: 8390245
    Abstract: A power cable is connected from an external commercial power supply, and an in-vehicle battery is charged. Using the power cable as a communication conduit, communication is conducted with the outside world. In particular, by communication during charging, regional information regarding the current location, where the charging is being performed, or regional control parameter information is obtained. A control parameter of a vehicle is then set in accordance with the obtained information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Niwa, Kazuya Kato
  • Publication number: 20120315169
    Abstract: Providing a fluid dynamic bearing device, wherein the outer member comprises a member formed by a pressing process on a plate member, the radial bearing surface and at least the one of the thrust bearing surfaces of the outer member being formed by the pressing process, and wherein at least a part of the inner member, which forms the radial bearing surface and the thrust bearing surfaces of the inner member, is made of a sintered metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaharu Hori, Jun Hirade, Tatsuya Hayashi, Yasuhiro Yamamoto, Natsuhiko Mori, Fuminori Satoji, Toshiaki Niwa, Tetsuya Kurimura, Kimihiko Bito
  • Patent number: 8332138
    Abstract: A road information acquisition device includes: a surface elevation acquisition unit that obtains a surface elevation; a road information acquisition unit that calculates first road information relating to a travel route to be traveled by a host vehicle on the basis of the surface elevation; and a structure determination unit that determines whether or not a structure exists on the travel route, wherein, when the structure determination unit determines that the structure exists on the travel route, the road information acquisition unit obtains second road information, which is different from the first road information, relating to a point at which the structure exists on the travel route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Suganuma, Mamoru Kuraishi, Kazunao Yamada, Takashi Naitou, Toshiaki Niwa, Masatoshi Takahara, Fumiharu Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8301323
    Abstract: When passage through a road pricing area where an exhaust gas emission vehicle is subjected to billing is predicted, ECU acquires a current SOC of a power storage device, and estimates a required energy quantity for passing through the road pricing area where an exhaust gas emission vehicle is subjected to billing by EV traveling. Further, a determination is made whether or not the vehicle can pass through the road pricing area by EV traveling based on the current SOC and the required energy quantity as estimated. When a determination is made that the vehicle cannot pass through the road pricing area by EV traveling, ECU executes steps of guiding a route to an adjacent charging station and/or steps of guiding a bypass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshiaki Niwa
  • Patent number: 8301365
    Abstract: An ECU executes a program including a step of detecting a present location using a GPS system; a step of reading out data of a geographical map proximate to the present location and presenting in the geographical map charging installations including a charging installation employing solar light, together with the location of its vehicle; a step of, if a presentation switching request is made and a real-time solar radiation correction request is made, detecting a solar radiation amount and correcting a charge amount per unit time provided by the power generation installation employing solar light, based on the detected solar radiation amount; and a step of detecting an SOC in the battery to calculate an amount of discharge done until arrival at the charging installation, calculating time required for charging up to a fully charged state, and presenting the time required for charging in the geographical map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin AW Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Toshiaki Niwa, Masatoshi Takahara