Patents by Inventor Yukiko Kawabata

Yukiko Kawabata 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: 9174674
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a parking assist apparatus 10 used for a vehicle which has a four-wheel steering mode in which front wheels and rear wheels can be steered independently, comprising: traveling path calculation means for calculating a traveling path for guiding the vehicle to a target position; and assist means for assisting traveling of the vehicle to the target position, based on the traveling path calculated by the traveling path calculation means. In the four-wheel steering mode, the traveling path calculated by the traveling path calculation means includes a traveling path in which the front wheels and the rear wheels are steered in reverse directions, and said traveling path includes a section in which a constant point, which is an intersection of a center line of the vehicle in a back-and-forth direction and a line perpendicular to the center line from a turning center, creates a trajectory of a clothoid curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Yasushi Makino, Yukiko Kawabata, Takuya Itoh, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 8542128
    Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus that can reduce a burden of a driver at a preliminary stage of parking. The parking assisting apparatus assists parking of a vehicle and includes an obstacle detector that detects an obstacle near the vehicle and an information outputting mechanism that informs the driver of a parking space adjacent to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Takuya Itou
  • Patent number: 8487783
    Abstract: To provide a parking support device for easily and quickly moving or rotating a target parking frame to an appropriate position. The parking support device includes a target parking position setting unit configured to set a target parking position at which a vehicle is to be parked with a target parking frame superimposed on an actual image displaying an area surrounding the vehicle. The parking support device guides the vehicle to the target parking position set by the target parking position setting unit. The target parking position setting unit moves the target parking frame initially displayed on a touch display to a position indicated by a coordinate point determined by a touch operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Yoshihashi, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Takashi Nonoyama, Takashi Ohira, Keisuke Ikari, Yasushi Makino, Takuya Ito
  • Patent number: 8285479
    Abstract: A parking assist apparatus for guiding a vehicle to a target parking position includes an initial position guiding unit configured to generate an initial position guiding path at a predetermined timing, the initial position guiding path leading from a current position of the vehicle to an initial position where vehicle guidance to the target parking position is started. The initial position guiding unit is also configured to guide the vehicle along the initial position guiding path to the initial position. The apparatus also includes an obstacle detecting unit configured to detect an obstacle around the vehicle. When the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit is located along the initial position guiding path, the initial position guiding unit generates the initial position guiding path such that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Daisuke Suzuki, Takashi Nitta
  • Patent number: 8232893
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking assisting apparatus which can selectively determine an appropriate target parking position, which can be used for parking assisting, with an appropriate priority, by appropriately using obstacle detecting means and parking space detecting means in a coordinated fashion. The present invention is a parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking a vehicle, comprising the obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle near the vehicle; and parking section line detecting means for detecting a parking section line painted on the ground; wherein if the parking section line is detected by the parking section line detecting means, the apparatus calculates the target parking position based on the detected parking section line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Yukiko Kawabata
  • Patent number: 8154426
    Abstract: The present invention is aimed at setting an efficient target track of a vehicle and thus improving convenience of the parking assist. According to the present invention, a parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking a vehicle is provided. The parking assisting apparatus comprises detecting means for detecting a positional relationship between an obstacle near the vehicle and a parking section line painted on the ground. The parking assisting apparatus is configured to vary a target track of the vehicle toward a target parking position based on the detected positional relationship between the obstacle and the parking section line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Yukiko Kawabata, Takuya Itou
  • Patent number: 8144031
    Abstract: A parking assisting device includes an ambient area detecting unit that detects an obstacle or a parking frame in an ambient area surrounding a vehicle, and a guiding unit guides the vehicle to a parking initial position from which parking of the vehicle to a parking space, adjacent to the detected obstacle, or the detected parking frame is permissible. In the parking assisting device, a guidance mode in which the guiding unit guides the vehicle to the parking initial position is set up based on a distance between the vehicle and the detected obstacle or the detected parking frame in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 8130120
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes a guiding unit to perform guidance of a vehicle to a parking initial position from which the vehicle can be parked into a parking space located adjacent to and on a far side of an object existing around the vehicle with respect to a running direction of the vehicle; an obstacle detecting unit to detect an obstacle around the vehicle in response to a reflected wave of a wave emitted from the vehicle in a predetermined direction; and a timing setting unit configured to set a timing to start the guidance in response to a detection result of the obstacle detecting unit, which is related to an obstacle existing in a predetermined distance from the object in the parking space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 8126625
    Abstract: A vehicle drive assist apparatus for assisting in driving a vehicle by varying drive torque of wheels that includes: a torque-up mechanism increasing the drive torque; a step detecting mechanism detecting a step that may exist on a road surface in a traveling direction of the vehicle; and a switching mechanism switching a status of control between a first status in which the torque-up mechanism is permitted to operate and a second status in which the torque-up mechanism is restricted to operate, wherein the switching mechanism forms the first status if the step is detected by the step detecting mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Miyuki Omori, Kiyotaka Moriizumi
  • Publication number: 20110304477
    Abstract: To provide a parking support device for easily and quickly moving or rotating a target parking frame to an appropriate position. The parking support device includes a target parking position setting unit configured to set a target parking position at which a vehicle is to be parked with a target parking frame superimposed on an actual image displaying an area surrounding the vehicle. The parking support device guides the vehicle to the target parking position set by the target parking position setting unit. The target parking position setting unit moves the target parking frame initially displayed on a touch display to a position indicated by a coordinate point determined by a touch operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio YOSHIHASHI, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Takashi Nonoyama, Takashi Ohira, Keisuke Ikari, Yasushi Makino, Takuya Ito
  • Patent number: 8035531
    Abstract: To provide a parking support device for easily and quickly moving or rotating a target parking frame to an appropriate position. The parking support device includes a target parking position setting unit configured to set a target parking position at which a vehicle is to be parked with a target parking frame superimposed on an actual image displaying an area surrounding the vehicle. The parking support device guides the vehicle to the target parking position set by the target parking position setting unit. The target parking position setting unit moves the target parking frame initially displayed on a touch display to a position indicated by a coordinate point determined by a touch operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Yoshihashi, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Takashi Nonoyama, Takashi Ohira, Keisuke Ikari, Yasushi Makino, Takuya Ito
  • Patent number: 7924171
    Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus and method that can precisely estimate the orientation of a parking space. A parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking a vehicle includes an obstacle detecting mechanism that detects an obstacle near the vehicle and an orientation information acquiring mechanism that acquires information as to an orientation of the vehicle. The apparatus estimates an orientation of the parking space that may exist near the vehicle based on the detection result of the obstacle detecting mechanism and the orientation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo
  • Publication number: 20100286872
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a parking assist apparatus 10 used for a vehicle which has a four-wheel steering mode in which front wheels and rear wheels can be steered independently, comprising: traveling path calculation means for calculating a traveling path for guiding the vehicle to a target position; and assist means for assisting traveling of the vehicle to the target position, based on the traveling path calculated by the traveling path calculation means. In the four-wheel steering mode, the traveling path calculated by the traveling path calculation means includes a traveling path in which the front wheels and the rear wheels are steered in reverse directions, and said traveling path includes a section in which a constant point, which is an intersection of a center line of the vehicle in a back-and-forth direction and a line perpendicular to the center line from a turning center, creates a trajectory of a clothoid curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko ENDO, Yasushi Makino, Yukiko Kawabata, Takuya Itoh, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20100283632
    Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus and method that can precisely estimate the orientation of a parking space. A parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking a vehicle includes an obstacle detecting mechanism that detects an obstacle near the vehicle and an orientation information acquiring mechanism that acquires information as to an orientation of the vehicle. The apparatus estimates an orientation of the parking space that may exist near the vehicle based on the detection result of the obstacle detecting mechanism and the orientation information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo
  • Publication number: 20100235053
    Abstract: The present invention provides a parking assist device (10A, 10B) for assisting a driver to parallel-park an own vehicle in a parking space adjacent to a parked vehicle. The parking assist device includes an inclination angle calculation unit (46A, 46B) configured to calculate an inclination angle ? of a moving direction of the own vehicle with respect to a side of the parked vehicle; and a steering assist unit (42A, 42B) configured to perform steering assistance such that the inclination angle ? calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit (46A, 46B) becomes zero.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yasushi Makino, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Miyuki Omori, Takashi Nitta, Daisuke Suzuki, Yuichi Kubota
  • Publication number: 20100118140
    Abstract: A disclosed parking assisting apparatus can determine the angle of the own vehicle to be changed at the time of parking in a parking space by precisely estimating the direction of the parking space next to a parked vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2008
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yasushi Makino, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Yukiko Kawabata
  • Publication number: 20100114434
    Abstract: A parking assist apparatus for guiding a vehicle to a target parking position includes an initial position guiding unit configured to generate an initial position guiding path at a predetermined timing, the initial position guiding path leading from a current position of the vehicle to an initial position where vehicle guidance to the target parking position is started. The initial position guiding unit is also configured to guide the vehicle along the initial position guiding path to the initial position. The apparatus also includes an obstacle detecting unit configured to detect an obstacle around the vehicle. When the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit is located along the initial position guiding path, the initial position guiding unit generates the initial position guiding path such that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit can be avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Daisuke Suzuki, Takashi Nitta
  • Publication number: 20100114438
    Abstract: A vehicle drive assist apparatus with high convenience in which torque-up is performed only if there is an instruction from the driver. The vehicle drive assist apparatus assists in driving a vehicle by varying a drive torque of wheels, and includes a torque-up mechanism increasing the drive torque and a switch switching, in accordance with an input from a vehicle occupant, a status of control between a first status in which the torque-up mechanism is operational and a second status in which the torque-up mechanism is not operational.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Miyuki Omori, Kiyotaka Moriizumi
  • Publication number: 20100049413
    Abstract: A vehicle drive assist apparatus for assisting in driving a vehicle by varying drive torque of wheels that includes: a torque-up mechanism increasing the drive torque; a step detecting mechanism detecting a step that may exist on a road surface in a traveling direction of the vehicle; and a switching mechanism switching a status of control between a first status in which the torque-up mechanism is permitted to operate and a second status in which the torque-up mechanism is restricted to operate, wherein the switching mechanism forms the first status if the step is detected by the step detecting mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2008
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Miyuki Omori, Kiyotaka Moriizumi
  • Publication number: 20100033348
    Abstract: A parking assisting device includes an ambient area detecting unit that detects an obstacle or a parking frame in an ambient area surrounding a vehicle, and a guiding unit guides the vehicle to a parking initial position from which parking of the vehicle to a parking space, adjacent to the detected obstacle, or the detected parking frame is permissible. In the parking assisting device, a guidance mode in which the guiding unit guides the vehicle to the parking initial position is set up based on a distance between the vehicle and the detected obstacle or the detected parking frame in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Atsuko Nakanishi