Patents by Inventor Yohei MASUI

Yohei MASUI 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: 11834046
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes an intersection information detection section that detects information on an intersection, and includes a traveling route detection section that detects a traveling route of the vehicle and a cross road detection section that detects a cross road intersecting the traveling route, an operation detection section that detects a plan of operation of the vehicle at the intersection, a waiting position setting section that sets a waiting position where the vehicle is caused to wait at the intersection until the vehicle becomes possible to perform the operation, and a determination section that determines whether the vehicle can perform the operation by the time a traffic light on the traveling route at the intersection turns red. The waiting position setting section sets a position, where another vehicle is not hindered from traveling on the crossing road by the vehicle stopped at the waiting position, as the waiting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuta Komoguchi, Yohei Masui, Mitsuhiro Tokimasa, Takumi Uematsu
  • Patent number: 11541888
    Abstract: A driving assist device includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a control device. The control device does not execute an inter-vehicle distance control under a predetermined first condition upon determination that at least one preceding object is detected based on the output of one of the first sensor and the second sensor without being detected based on the output of the other of the first and second sensors; and an environment of a non-detection sensor that is the other of the first and second sensors satisfies a first requirement for determination of a reliability of the output of the non-detection sensor; and the control device executes the inter-vehicle distance control under a predetermined second condition upon determination that the environment of the non-detection sensor satisfies a second requirement for determination of the reliability of the output of the non-detection sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo Mizuno, Yohei Masui
  • Patent number: 11524688
    Abstract: In an apparatus for assisting a turn of a vehicle at an intersection, a turn-signal state detection unit is configured to detect an operating state of a turn signal of the vehicle. A road information detection unit is configured to detect road information that is information regarding a road on which the vehicle is traveling. A determination unit is configured to, using at least one of the detected operating state of the turn signal and the detected road information, determine whether or not the vehicle will make a turn at the intersection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kato, Yohei Masui, Mitsuhiro Tokimasa, Yuta Komoguchi
  • Patent number: 11467277
    Abstract: An object recognition apparatus groups reflection points detected by a radar device, and recognizes an object around the own vehicle, based on a radar-based target detected using the grouped plurality of reflection points and an image-based target detected using an image captured by an image capturing device. The object recognition apparatus includes a reflection point acquiring unit that acquires reflection point information related to the grouped plurality of reflection points, and an object determining unit that determines that a plurality of objects have been detected as a single object by the radar device, based on the reflection point information acquired by the reflection point acquiring unit and the information on the image-based target, if the image-based target detected by the imaging device includes an image-only target not detected by the radar device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yohei Masui, Tadashi Sakai, Takashi Maeda, Takeshi Nanami, Minoru Nakadori
  • Patent number: 11373533
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus acquires a position of an other vehicle that is present ahead of the own vehicle in its traveling direction, and uses the acquired position of the other vehicle to calculate a movement locus, which is a past path of the other vehicle. The vehicle control device calculates a lateral movement amount of the movement locus in a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, the lateral movement amount being an amount of change in position in a lateral direction which is a direction intersecting the traveling direction, and calculates an average value of the lateral movement amounts. The vehicle control apparatus excludes, from the movement loci, a movement locus having a lateral movement amount whose difference from the average value is larger than a predetermined value, and calculates the predicted path based on remaining movement loci.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takatoshi Tosa, Yohei Masui, Takashi Maeda
  • Patent number: 11346922
    Abstract: An object recognition device recognizes an object around the own vehicle by using a radar device and an imaging device. The object recognition apparatus includes: information combining unit that generates combined target information by combining radar-based target information with image-based target information if the object is being detected by the radar device and the imaging device, the radar-based target information being information on an object detected by the radar device, the image-based target information being information on an object detected by the imaging device; and an identical object determining unit that determines that an object detected by the imaging device is identical with an object detected by the radar device, based on time-dependent change of the combined target information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yohei Masui, Tadashi Sakai, Takashi Maeda, Takeshi Nanami, Minoru Nakadori
  • Publication number: 20220111842
    Abstract: A device for setting a target vehicle that sets a target vehicle to be subjected to driving assistance control of a host vehicle includes: a detection signal acquisition device capable of acquiring a first detection signal representing an object by an image, and a second detection signal representing the object by a reflection point; and setting control unit, which determines whether to set a forward object as a target vehicle, wherein if a movement history is not associated with the forward object, and a combination history is associated with the forward object, then as a selection threshold of a first determination parameter for determining whether to set the forward object as the target vehicle, a selection threshold is used such that the forward object is less likely to be selected as the target vehicle than with the selection threshold which would be used if a movement history is associated with the forward object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yohei MASUI, Ryo MIZUNO, Takashi MAEDA, Naoki KUSUMOTO, Yuki TEZUKA
  • Patent number: 11235766
    Abstract: A device for setting a target vehicle that sets a target vehicle to be subjected to driving assistance control of a host vehicle includes: a detection signal acquisition device capable of acquiring a first detection signal representing an object by an image, and a second detection signal representing the object by a reflection point; and setting control unit, which determines whether to set a forward object as a target vehicle, wherein if a movement history is not associated with the forward object, and a combination history is associated with the forward object, then as a selection threshold of a first determination parameter for determining whether to set the forward object as the target vehicle, a selection threshold is used such that the forward object is less likely to be selected as the target vehicle than with the selection threshold which would be used if a movement history is associated with the forward object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yohei Masui, Ryo Mizuno, Takashi Maeda, Naoki Kusumoto, Yuki Tezuka
  • Publication number: 20210357709
    Abstract: In an object determination apparatus, a same-object determiner is configured to make a same-object determination as to whether a first object ahead of a subject vehicle that is a vehicle carrying the object determination apparatus, detected by an electromagnetic wave sensor, and a second object ahead of the subject vehicle, detected by an image sensor, are the same object. A candidate-object identifier is configured to identify a candidate for the first object, between which and the second object the same-object determination is to be made, as a candidate object. A candidate-object selector is configured to, in response to there being a plurality of the candidate objects, preferentially select, from the plurality of candidate objects, a candidate object whose likelihood for the identified object type of the second object is higher than a predetermined likelihood threshold, as a candidate object to be subjected to the same-object determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Yohei MASUI, Naoki KUSUMOTO, Hiroshi YAMADA
  • Patent number: 11131769
    Abstract: An ECU as an object detection device and a radar device are mounted on a vehicle. The radar device acquires front-view images containing a detection-target object such as a preceding vehicle present within a predetermined area around the vehicle. The radar device recognizes the detection-target object in time series based on the acquired front-view images. The ECU realizes a preceding vehicle selection part, an irregular-detection detecting part and an association processing part. The selection part selects the object when a relationship between the object and the vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition. The detecting part detects occurrence of an irregular detection when a first object selected as the preceding vehicle and a second object not selected as the preceding vehicle are detected based on the object. The association processing part performs an association process of associating history of the first object to the second object when the irregular detection has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryo Mizuno, Yohei Masui, Takashi Maeda
  • Patent number: 11127300
    Abstract: A vehicle recognition device includes: an acquisition section acquiring image information based on an image captured by a vehicle-mounted camera; a boundary line detection section detecting, based on the image information, boundary lines on both left and right sides demarcating vehicle traveling lanes; a vehicle detection section detecting position information on an object vehicle; and a recognition section recognizing lane-to-lane movement of the object vehicle between an own lane in which the subject vehicle is traveling and an adjacent lane. The recognition section recognizes the lane-to-lane movement based on a second boundary line of the boundary lines, a lane width between a first boundary line of the boundary lines and the second boundary line, and the position information on the object vehicle, the first boundary line dividing the own lane and the adjacent lane, the second boundary line being different from the first boundary line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kengo Kosaka, Yohei Masui, Takashi Maeda
  • Patent number: 11086011
    Abstract: A target detection device mounted in a vehicle includes: a radar specification unit; a same target determination unit; and an image specification unit that specifies, as image target position information, an image detection region of an image detection target detected on the basis of a captured image, the image detection region representing the position of the image detection target relative to the base point on an XY-plane with the X-axis representing the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and the Y-axis representing the vehicle length direction of the vehicle. The image specification unit sets the Y-axis range of the image detection region in the Y-axis direction on the basis of the bearing from the base point to each of the two X-directional ends of the image detection target in the captured image and of an expected width minimum value and an expected width maximum value in the X-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tadashi Sakai, Yohei Masui, Ryoma Niihara, Takashi Maeda, Takeshi Nanami, Minoru Nakadori
  • Patent number: 11072328
    Abstract: A control-target vehicle setting apparatus sets a control-target vehicle that serves as a target for driving assistance control. The control-target vehicle setting apparatus includes a detection signal acquiring unit and a setting control unit. The detection signal acquiring unit acquires a first detection signal that indicates a target by an image and a second detection signal that indicates a target by a reflection point. The setting control unit sets an acquired forward target as the control-target vehicle when the forward target is associated with an integration history that indicates that the forward target has been determined to be a vehicle using the first detection signal and the second detection signal in an integrated manner, even when the forward target is not associated with a movement history that indicates that the forward target has been detected as being a moving object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yohei Masui, Takashi Maeda, Naoki Kusumoto, Yuki Tezuka
  • Patent number: 11003927
    Abstract: In a target recognition apparatus that recognizes a target in a periphery of an own vehicle, a radar target acquiring unit acquires, as a radar target, the target that is detected by transmission and reception of radar waves. An image target acquiring unit acquires, as an image target, the target that is included in a captured image captured by an imaging apparatus. A target recognizing unit recognizes, as a first target, one of a plurality of radar targets included in a predetermined area relative to the image target and recognizes, as a second target, at least one of the plurality of radar targets other than the first target. A sameness determining unit determines whether the first target and the second target are the same object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko Inoue, Tadashi Sakai, Yohei Masui, Takashi Maeda
  • Publication number: 20210129867
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus is mounted in a vehicle and controls the vehicle. The vehicle control apparatus detects an obstacle that is present inside a grade crossing that intersects a traveling course of the vehicle, using a detection result of a sensor that is mounted in the vehicle. The vehicle control apparatus identifies a position and size of the obstacle using a detection result of the vehicle control apparatus, and calculates a clearance in a direction that intersects the traveling course when the vehicle crosses the grade crossing, using the identified position and size of the obstacle. The vehicle control apparatus determines whether the vehicle is able to pass through the grade crossing based on the calculated clearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Ryotaro ARAKI, Kenji KATO, Yohei MASUI, Yuta KOMOGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210094548
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes an intersection information detection section that detects information on an intersection, and includes a traveling route detection section that detects a traveling route of the vehicle and a cross road detection section that detects a cross road intersecting the traveling route, an operation detection section that detects a plan of operation of the vehicle at the intersection, a waiting position setting section that sets a waiting position where the vehicle is caused to wait at the intersection until the vehicle becomes possible to perform the operation, and a determination section that determines whether the vehicle can perform the operation by the time a traffic light on the traveling route at the intersection turns red. The waiting position setting section sets a position, where another vehicle is not hindered from traveling on the crossing road by the vehicle stopped at the waiting position, as the waiting position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Yuta KOMOGUCHI, Yohei MASUI, Mitsuhiro TOKIMASA, Takumi UEMATSU
  • Publication number: 20210086768
    Abstract: A driving assistance control apparatus for a vehicle includes an acquiring unit and a control unit. The acquiring unit acquires a detected traveling environment of the vehicle. Using the acquired traveling environment, and in response to a preceding vehicle being present near a road edge and no obstacle being present between the road edge and the preceding vehicle, the control unit causes a driving assisting unit to perform driving assistance in which the preceding vehicle is tracked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Yuta KOMOGUCHI, Yohei MASUI, Kenji KATO
  • Patent number: 10906543
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a preceding vehicle selector that selects a pair of preceding vehicles, a target pair recognizer that executes a pairing process of storing a distance between a first target and a second target belonging to the respective preceding vehicles as an offset, and an intervehicular distance setter that sets both of a distance between an own vehicle and a first target as an intervehicular distance when the first target and the second target are detected as a target pair, and a distance corrected based on the offset as an intervehicular distance when the first target out of the target pair is not detected. The target pair recognizer stores a history of determination parameters including at least one of changes in relative distance, relative speed, and lateral deviation amount between the first and second targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michihiro Kuroki, Takuma Sudo, Yohei Masui
  • Publication number: 20200369274
    Abstract: A driving assist device includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a control device. The control device does not execute an inter-vehicle distance control under a predetermined first condition upon determination that at least one preceding object is detected based on the output of one of the first sensor and the second sensor without being detected based on the output of the other of the first and second sensors; and an environment of a non-detection sensor that is the other of the first and second sensors satisfies a first requirement for determination of a reliability of the output of the non-detection sensor; and the control device executes the inter-vehicle distance control under a predetermined second condition upon determination that the environment of the non-detection sensor satisfies a second requirement for determination of the reliability of the output of the non-detection sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Ryo MIZUNO, Yohei MASUI
  • Publication number: 20200300969
    Abstract: An object recognition device recognizes an object around the own vehicle by using a radar device and an imaging device. The object recognition apparatus includes: information combining unit that generates combined target information by combining radar-based target information with image-based target information if the object is being detected by the radar device and the imaging device, the radar-based target information being information on an object detected by the radar device, the image-based target information being information on an object detected by the imaging device; and an identical object determining unit that determines that an object detected by the imaging device is identical with an object detected by the radar device, based on time-dependent change of the combined target information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2017
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Yohei MASUI, Tadashi SAKAI, Takashi MAEDA, Takeshi NANAMI, Minoru NAKADORI