Patents by Inventor Yoji Kunihiro

Yoji Kunihiro 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: 20240343260
    Abstract: An intervention operation determination apparatus includes: a steering unit operated by a driver; a steering wheel to be turned in conjunction with the operation of the steering unit; and a detection unit that detects an operation amount of the steering unit when a steering force that turns the steering wheel is generated. The intervention operation determination apparatus determines that the driver has operated the steering unit during autonomous driving in which traveling by controlling an actuator without an operation of the steering unit by the driver is performed. The intervention operation determination apparatus further includes a controller that controls the actuator. The controller determines that there has been an intervention operation in which the driver operates the steering unit based on a deviation between a target steering angle in the autonomous driving and an actual steering angle based on an operation amount detected by the detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2024
    Publication date: October 17, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoji KUNIHIRO, Takahiro KOJO, Yuntaka AOKI, Go INOUE, Yushi SHIBAIKE, Yushi NAGATA
  • Publication number: 20240343300
    Abstract: The steering device is configured to automatically perform a steering operation of a steering wheel. The steering device is configured to determine that the steering operation of the steering wheel has been performed by the driver based on the steering angle of the steering wheel and the target steering angle, at least during a driving mode in which the steering operation of the steering wheel is automatically performed, and when it is determined that the steering operation of the steering wheel has been performed by the driver, change the operation characteristics of the steering wheel so that the steering force required when the driver steers the steering wheel is reduced compared to before the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2024
    Publication date: October 17, 2024
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoji KUNIHIRO, Takahiro Kojo, Yutaka Aoki, Go Inoue, Yushi Shibaike, Yushi Nagata
  • Publication number: 20240343302
    Abstract: An autonomous driving control device includes a steering determination unit that determines whether a driver has operated a steering unit while driving with an actuator controlled in a first control mode, an operation speed calculation unit that calculates at least one of a deviation speed, which is the change rate of deviation between a target steering angle during autonomous driving and an actual steering angle, and a steering speed, which is the change rate of the actual steering angle, and a control mode switching unit that, when it is determined that the driver has operated the steering unit, changes an instruction value to be output to the actuator from a first target control amount in the first control mode to a second target control amount in the second control mode at a change rate corresponding to at least one of the deviation speed and the steering speed described above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2024
    Publication date: October 17, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoji KUNIHIRO, Takahiro KOJO, Yutaka AOKI
  • Patent number: 12110014
    Abstract: An autonomous driving system mounted on a vehicle determines a target path based on necessary information and performs vehicle travel control such that the vehicle follows the target path. A first coordinate system is a vehicle coordinate system at a first timing when the necessary information is acquired. A second coordinate system is a vehicle coordinate system at a second timing later than the first timing. The autonomous driving system calculates, based on the necessary information acquired at the first timing, a first target path defined in the first coordinate system. Then, the autonomous driving system corrects the first target path to a second target path defined in the second coordinate system by performing coordinate transformation from the first coordinate system to the second coordinate system. The autonomous driving system uses the second target path as the target path to perform the vehicle travel control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi Sone, Yoji Kunihiro, Takahiro Yokota, Ryo Irie, Yoshinori Watanabe, Masateru Amano
  • Patent number: 11975719
    Abstract: A traveling control apparatus that allows lane changing due to a driver's steering intervention while continuing lane maintenance control includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit sets a target trace along a lane in which a vehicle is traveling, determines a target steering angle of the vehicle based on the target trace and a lateral position of the vehicle, applies control torque to a steering shaft of the vehicle based on the target steering angle, resets, in response to a change in the lateral position due to the driver's steering intervention which exceeds the control torque and entrance of the vehicle into an adjacent lane, the target trace to the adjacent lane, and determines, using a gradual changing function, in response to the resetting of the target trace, the target steering angle by changing the target steering angle at the time of the resetting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoji Kunihiro, Takahiro Kojo, Hisaya Akatsuka, Hirotaka Tokoro
  • Patent number: 11884340
    Abstract: A steering control device includes: a first calculator configured to calculate, according to a turning state, a first control amount for causing a motor to generate an assistance force; a second calculator configured to calculate a second control amount for adapting an actual angle to a target angle that is convertible into a turning angle of a steering wheel and generated when a host control device intervenes in steering control; and a third calculator configured to calculate, according to the turning state, a third control amount for offsetting the second control amount when the host control device intervenes in steering control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shingo Nitta, Takahiro Toko, Yoji Kunihiro, Takahiro Kojo, Hisaya Akatsuka
  • Patent number: 11794807
    Abstract: The steering control apparatus determines whether or not a deviation degree of a current traveling route of a vehicle with respect to a target traveling route is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold, when steering control is switched from manual steering control to automatic steering control. In the automatic steering control, a command steering angle is calculated so that a difference between a real traveling route of the vehicle and the target traveling route is eliminated. However, when the deviation degree is equal to or more than the predetermined threshold, the steering control apparatus recalculates the command steering angle used in the command steering angle tracking control based on a steering angle at the time of starting the automatic steering control and the command steering angle so that a real steering angle after switching to the automatic steering control changes gradually to the command steering angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryo Irie, Yoji Kunihiro, Yutaka Aoki, Yoshio Kudo
  • Patent number: 11767014
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes an information acquirer configured to acquire vehicle surrounding information, and a controller configured to execute driving assistance control. The controller is configured to set a first line as a target traveling line when an operation status of the driving assistance control is ON. The controller is configured to set, when a driving switching request is made, the target traveling line to cause a vehicle to travel along a second line displaced from the first line by a predetermined displacement amount after a specific timing that is a timing when a predetermined time has elapsed from a requested timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATIO
    Inventors: Takahiro Kojo, Yoji Kunihiro, Hisashi Kajita, Hisaya Akatsuka, Hirotaka Tokoro
  • Patent number: 11731695
    Abstract: Provided is a control apparatus for a vehicle configured to perform steering assist control and driving support control based on a motor control amount, the control apparatus being further configured to correct the motor control amount such that a specific steering amount in a second period becomes smaller than that in a first period, the specific steering amount being an amount of change in a steering angle required for a magnitude of a steering torque to reach a torque threshold, the first period being a period from a first time point at which a driving support operation state is changed to an on state to a second time point at which a driving operation switching request is issued, and the second period being a period from the second time point to a third time point at which the driving support operation state is changed to an off state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Kojo, Yoji Kunihiro, Hisaya Akatsuka
  • Patent number: 11718341
    Abstract: A vehicle driver assistance system includes: a steering assist torque generation device configured to generate steering assist torque; a control device configured to control the steering assist torque generation device; and a switch configured to switch a steering mode between a manual steering mode and an automatic steering mode. The manual steering mode is a mode in which steered wheels are steered as a driver operates a steering wheel. The automatic steering mode is a mode in which the steered wheels are steered by the steering assist torque generated by the steering assist torque generation device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoji Kunihiro, Takahiro Kojo, Yuji Watari, Hisaya Akatsuka
  • Patent number: 11691651
    Abstract: Provided is a control apparatus for a vehicle configured to perform driving support control when a driving support operation state is an on state, the control apparatus being further configured to, in a case where the driving support operation state is the on state and a driving operation switching request for changing the driving support operation state to an off state is issued, calculate a target speed at a driving operation switching time point at which the driving support operation state is changed from the on state to the off state, and perform deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle such that a speed of the vehicle matches the target speed at the driving operation switching time point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taisuke Yasutomi, Yoji Kunihiro
  • Publication number: 20230122841
    Abstract: An autonomous driving system mounted on a vehicle determines a target path based on necessary information and performs vehicle travel control such that the vehicle follows the target path. A first coordinate system is a vehicle coordinate system at a first timing when the necessary information is acquired. A second coordinate system is a vehicle coordinate system at a second timing later than the first timing. The autonomous driving system calculates, based on the necessary information acquired at the first timing, a first target path defined in the first coordinate system. Then, the autonomous driving system corrects the first target path to a second target path defined in the second coordinate system by performing coordinate transformation from the first coordinate system to the second coordinate system. The autonomous driving system uses the second target path as the target path to perform the vehicle travel control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi SONE, Yoji KUNIHIRO, Takahiro YOKOTA, Ryo IRIE, Yoshinori WATANABE, Masateru AMANO
  • Patent number: 11608108
    Abstract: An automatic steering system comprises a controller. The controller executes target steering angle calculation processing. The controller further calculates a learning value of lateral acceleration. The learning value is calculated based on an error of a detected value of the lateral acceleration by an acceleration sensor and an estimation value of the lateral acceleration calculated using driving speed and yaw rate. In the target steering angle calculation processing, it is judged whether the acceleration sensor is normal. If it is judged that the acceleration sensor is normal, a target steering angle is calculated by using the detected value. Otherwise, the lateral acceleration used to calculate the target steering angle is switched from the detected value to a backup value of the lateral acceleration. The backup value is calculated using the estimation value and the learning value calculated before a timing at which the acceleration sensor is judged to be abnormal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shun Maruyama, Takahiro Kojo, Yoji Kunihiro
  • Patent number: 11577781
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes: an electric power steering device that generates an assist torque that assists turning of a wheel caused by a steering wheel rotation; a controller that controls the electric power steering device to generate the assist torque according to the steering wheel rotation in a normal mode; and a state sensor that detects a vehicle travel state and a state of an occupant at a driver's seat. When the occupant at the driver's seat performs a getting-on action or a getting-off action when the vehicle is in an ignition-ON state, the controller controls the electric power steering device in a temporal mode. In the temporal mode, the controller changes a method of controlling the electric power steering device such that the steering wheel rotation is suppressed as compared with a case of the normal mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomomichi Nakamura, Yoji Kunihiro
  • Patent number: 11524706
    Abstract: An override conciliating portion executes processing to conciliate an override request during an execution of automated driving control (i.e., override conciliation processing). In the override conciliation processing, it is determined whether or not there is the override request (step S20). If the determination result of the step S20 is positive, it is determined whether or not a second automated driving mode is selected as an operation mode (step S21). If the determination result of the step S21 is negative, acceptance processing of the override request is executed (step S22). If the determination result of the step S21 is positive, invalidation processing of the override request is executed (step S23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoji Kunihiro, Takahiro Kojo, Shun Mizoo, Takahiro Yokota, Shunsuke Tanimori, Hisaya Akatsuka, Masaki Shiota, Hirotaka Tokoro
  • Patent number: 11479244
    Abstract: An autonomous driving system mounted on a vehicle determines a target path based on necessary information and performs vehicle travel control such that the vehicle follows the target path. A first coordinate system is a vehicle coordinate system at a first timing when the necessary information is acquired. A second coordinate system is a vehicle coordinate system at a second timing later than the first timing. The autonomous driving system calculates, based on the necessary information acquired at the first timing, a first target path defined in the first coordinate system. Then, the autonomous driving system corrects the first target path to a second target path defined in the second coordinate system by performing coordinate transformation from the first coordinate system to the second coordinate system. The autonomous driving system uses the second target path as the target path to perform the vehicle travel control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi Sone, Yoji Kunihiro, Takahiro Yokota, Ryo Irie, Yoshinori Watanabe, Masateru Amano
  • Publication number: 20220306114
    Abstract: A traveling control apparatus that allows lane changing due to a driver's steering intervention while continuing lane maintenance control includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit sets a target trace along a lane in which a vehicle is traveling, determines a target steering angle of the vehicle based on the target trace and a lateral position of the vehicle, applies control torque to a steering shaft of the vehicle based on the target steering angle, resets, in response to a change in the lateral position due to the driver's steering intervention which exceeds the control torque and entrance of the vehicle into an adjacent lane, the target trace to the adjacent lane, and determines, using a gradual changing function, in response to the resetting of the target trace, the target steering angle by changing the target steering angle at the time of the resetting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: Yoji KUNIHIRO, Takahiro KOJO, Hisaya AKATSUKA, Hirotaka TOKORO
  • Patent number: 11427247
    Abstract: A steering determination device determines a steering state in which a driver of a vehicle is steering a steering wheel of the vehicle. The device includes a torque recognition unit configured to recognize a steering torque based on a measurement result of a torque sensor provided on a steering shaft, an acceleration recognition unit configured to recognize longitudinal acceleration or lateral acceleration, a threshold value setting unit configured to set a threshold value for the determination of the steering state, based on the longitudinal acceleration or the lateral acceleration, and a steering determination unit configured to determine that the driver is in the steering state if the steering torque is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The threshold value setting unit is configured to set the threshold value such that the threshold value decreases as an absolute value of the longitudinal acceleration or the lateral acceleration decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiko Kuwabara, Naoki Nishimura, Yoji Kunihiro, Takahiro Kojo, Hisaya Akatsuka, Maxime Moreillon, Tsutomu Tamura, Robert Fuchs
  • Patent number: 11377149
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes: a turning device that turns a wheel of a vehicle; a steering sensor that detects a driver's steering operation; and a control device configured to execute automated turning control that controls the turning device to automatically turn the wheel, independently of the driver's steering operation. A modification desire degree represents a degree to which the driver's steering operation modifies vehicle travel caused by the automated turning control. During execution of the automated turning control, the control device calculates the modification desire degree based on a result of detection by the steering sensor. When the modification desire degree exceeds a threshold, the control device executes system suppression processing without terminating the automated turning control. In the system suppression processing, the control device weakens the automated turning control as compared to a case where the modification desire degree is equal to or lower than the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaya Sato, Yoji Kunihiro, Yoshinori Watanabe, Shunsuke Tanimori, Hisaya Akatsuka
  • Publication number: 20220073069
    Abstract: An autonomous driving system mounted on a vehicle determines a target path based on necessary information and performs vehicle travel control such that the vehicle follows the target path. A first coordinate system is a vehicle coordinate system at a first timing when the necessary information is acquired. A second coordinate system is a vehicle coordinate system at a second timing later than the first timing. The autonomous driving system calculates, based on the necessary information acquired at the first timing, a first target path defined in the first coordinate system. Then, the autonomous driving system corrects the first target path to a second target path defined in the second coordinate system by performing coordinate transformation from the first coordinate system to the second coordinate system. The autonomous driving system uses the second target path as the target path to perform the vehicle travel control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi SONE, Yoji KUNIHIRO, Takahiro YOKOTA, Ryo IRIE, Yoshinori WATANABE, Masateru AMANO