Patents by Inventor Toshimitsu Satou

Toshimitsu Satou 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).

  • Vehicle control apparatus and method
    Patent number: 7490588
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes a first fuel-cut duration extending portion that, when a fuel-cut is being executed during deceleration of the vehicle, slows the decrease in the engine speed by executing a slip control of a lock-up clutch; and a second fuel-cut duration extending portion which, when the engine speed has decreased to a coast-downshift threshold, which is higher by a given amount than a fuel-cut cancellation threshold, while the slip control is being executed, allows to downshift the automatic transmission if the road on which the vehicle is presently traveling has a downhill gradient that is larger than a reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Kimura, Toshimitsu Satou
  • VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20080168964
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes a first fuel-cut duration extending portion that, when a fuel-cut is being executed during deceleration of the vehicle, slows the decrease in the engine speed by executing a slip control of a lock-up clutch; and a second fuel-cut duration extending portion which, when the engine speed has decreased to a coast-downshift threshold, which is higher by a given amount than a fuel-cut cancellation threshold, while the slip control is being executed, allows to downshift the automatic transmission if the road on which the vehicle is presently traveling has a downhill gradient that is larger than a reference value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Publication date: July 17, 2008
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigeru KIMURA, Toshimitsu Satou