Patents by Inventor Harumi Horihata

Harumi Horihata 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: 20240157810
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes: a control unit that controls torque of a rotating electric machine by performing switching control of an inverter; a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of a temperature detection target which is at least one of the machine and the inverter; and a current sensor that detects electric current flowing through the temperature detection target and has higher responsiveness than the temperature sensor. The control unit includes an overheat protection unit that limits the torque of the machine when the temperature detection target is in an overheated state. The overheat protection unit determines whether the temperature detection target is in the overheated state based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor when an operating point of the machine is within a continuous operation region, and based on the electric current detected by the current sensor when the operating point is within a short-time operation region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2024
    Publication date: May 16, 2024
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumi HORIHATA, Shinichi OKADA
  • Publication number: 20240159510
    Abstract: A rotational angle measurement apparatus is applicable to a rotary electric machine that includes an outer rotor rotatable around a predetermined reference axis, and a stator disposed radially inside the outer rotor. The rotational angle measurement apparatus includes at least one measurement portion mounted to the outer rotor, and a measuring member located radially outside the stator to face the at least one measurement portion. The measuring member is configured to measure a position of the at least one measurement portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2024
    Publication date: May 16, 2024
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryoya HASHIZUME, Harumi HORIHATA
  • Publication number: 20240154561
    Abstract: An inverter control device is for a vehicle including: a rotating electric machine that is an in-wheel motor integrated inside a drive wheel and includes a rotor including a magnet portion with a plurality of magnetic poles and a stator including multiphase stator windings without teeth protruding radially toward the rotor; and an inverter electrically connected to the rotating electric machine. The inverter control device includes: a control unit configured to perform PWM control to generate a drive signal for a switching element in the inverter based on a carrier signal and a command voltage in each phase in the overall operating region for an operating point defined by the rotation speed and the torque of the rotating electric machine; and an operation unit configured to operate the switching element based on the generated drive signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2024
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumi HORIHATA, Yasuaki AOKI, Takahiro WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20220348077
    Abstract: A drive control device is applicable to a vehicle including a first motor which drives a first wheel and a second motor which drives a second wheel. The drive control device includes a sensor, a torque setting section, an anomaly detection section, and an information output section. The sensor detects information about the drive control device. The torque setting section sets upper limit values of torques that can be generated by the first motor and the second motor based on the information detected by the sensor. The anomaly detection section detects an anomaly in the drive control device. In response to the anomaly detection section detecting the anomaly, the information output section outputs, to the torque setting section, setting information that sets the upper limit values of the torques of the first motor and the second motor to a common predetermined value, as the information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru ISHIDA, Harumi HORIHATA
  • Patent number: 10056752
    Abstract: A rotary electric machine for a vehicle is provided. The rotary electric machine includes a power system circuit which has a power element and is grounded via a first ground terminal and a first connecting line and a control system circuit which controls the power system circuit and is grounded via a second ground terminal and a second connecting line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumi Horihata, Tadatoshi Asada, Takahisa Koyasu
  • Patent number: 9979329
    Abstract: In a power converting device, a controller determines a combination pattern of a first energization pattern for the first set of the at least one-phase winding and a second energization pattern for the second set of the at least one-phase winding. The first and second energization patterns respectively include at least a first energization duration for the first set of the at least one-phase winding and a second energization duration for the second set of the at least one-phase winding. The controller supplies a drive pulse signal, whose on duration is based on the determined combination pattern, to the switch to thereby control on-off operations of the switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masakazu Tago, Harumi Horihata, Hideaki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 9312683
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounted electric rotating machine includes a field winding wound on a rotor for magnetizing a field pole of the rotor, a stator winding for generating an AC voltage in accordance with a rotating magnetic field generated by the field pole, a power converter for converting the AC voltage to a DC voltage and outputting the DC voltage through a first power supply line connected to an output terminal thereof, and a load dump handling section for performing a load dump protection operation when a voltage of the output terminal of the power converter exceeds a threshold voltage. The load dump handling section is supplied with operating power through a second power supply line provided separately from the first power supply line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideaki Nakayama, Harumi Horihata
  • Patent number: 9294027
    Abstract: A rotating electric machine for vehicles has a rotor, a stator having stator windings, MOS module groups as electric power converters, a rotation angle sensor that detects a rotation angle of the rotor, and a control circuit that has a rotation angle sensor abnormality determining section that determines whether abnormalities of the rotation angle sensor exist or not based on a phase voltage induced by the stator windings during the power generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Harumi Horihata
  • Patent number: 9160251
    Abstract: In a rotary electric machine, an on-timing setter sets on-timings of each of a high-side switching element and a low-side switching element for each of at least two three-phase stator windings. An off-timing setter sets off-timings of each of the high-side switching element and the low-side switching element. An off-timing fault determiner determines a fault of an off-timing of a target switching element as one of the high-side switching element and the low-side switching element set by the off-timing setter when a time interval from the off-timing of the target switching element set by the off-timing setter to time when a phase voltage corresponding to the target switching element reaches a threshold after the off-timing thereof is shorter than a preset value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumi Horihata, Hideaki Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20150102782
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounted electric rotating machine includes a field winding wound on a rotor for magnetizing a field pole of the rotor, a stator winding for generating an AC voltage in accordance with a rotating magnetic field generated by the field pole, a power converter for converting the AC voltage to a DC voltage and outputting the DC voltage through a first power supply line connected to an output terminal thereof, and a load dump handling section for performing a load dump protection operation when a voltage of the output terminal of the power converter exceeds a threshold voltage. The load dump handling section is supplied with operating power through a second power supply line provided separately from the first power supply line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Inventors: Hideaki NAKAYAMA, Harumi HORIHATA
  • Publication number: 20150091481
    Abstract: In a power converting device, a controller determines a combination pattern of a first energization pattern for the first set of the at least one-phase winding and a second energization pattern for the second set of the at least one-phase winding. The first and second energization patterns respectively include at least a first energization duration for the first set of the at least one-phase winding and a second energization duration for the second set of the at least one-phase winding. The controller supplies a drive pulse signal, whose on duration is based on the determined combination pattern, to the switch to thereby control on-off operations of the switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Masakazu TAGO, Harumi Horihata, Hideaki Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20140375282
    Abstract: A rotating electric machine for vehicles has a rotor, a stator having stator windings, MOS module groups as electric power converters, a rotation angle sensor that detects a rotation angle of the rotor, and a control circuit that has a rotation angle sensor abnormality determining section that determines whether abnormalities of the rotation angle sensor exist or not based on a phase voltage induced by the stator windings during the power generation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Harumi HORIHATA
  • Patent number: 8896275
    Abstract: A rotary electric machine for a vehicle that is capable of starting synchronous rectification through switching elements after having ensured absence of a short circuit fault. The rotary electric machine includes a multi-phase armature winding, a switching element set that includes a plurality of pairs of upper-arm and lower-arm switching elements to form a bridge rectification circuit together with the armature winding, an on/off-timing setter that sets on/off-timing of each switching element, a switching element driver that drives each switching element at the on/off-timing set by the on/off-timing setter; and a synchronous control start determiner that determines timing when an energization period for the upper-arm switching element and an energization period for the lower-arm switching element occur alternately as start timing of the synchronous rectification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Harumi Horihata, Hideaki Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20140334044
    Abstract: A rotary electric machine for a vehicle is provided. The rotary electric machine includes a power system circuit which has a power element and is grounded via a first ground terminal and a first connecting line and a control system circuit which controls the power system circuit and is grounded via a second ground terminal and a second connecting line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: Harumi HORIHATA, Tadatoshi ASADA, Takahisa KOYASU
  • Patent number: 8716966
    Abstract: In a vehicular rotary electric machine, a switching section includes a bridge circuit having plurality of upper arms and plurality of lower arms. The arms include switching elements. A diode is connected in parallel to each switching element. One end of the switching element of each of the upper arms is connected to a positive terminal of a battery and one end of the switching element of each of the lower arms is connected to a negative terminal of the battery via a vehicle body. The switching section rectifies induced phase voltage of an armature winding. A section sets ON-timing of the switching elements. A section sets OFF-timing of the switching elements. When the switching element of each lower arm is OFF, a detector detects an energization period in which current flows to the diode. A calculator calculates a rotation frequency based on the detected energization period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Nakayama, Harumi Horihata
  • Patent number: 8716983
    Abstract: A vehicle generator includes armature windings, rectifier module groups, an upper MOS on-timing determining section, a lower MOS on-timing determining section, a rotational speed calculating section, a target electrical angle setting section for setting a value of a target electrical angle, an upper MOS off-timing determining section, a lower MOS off-timing determining section, and drivers for driving high-side and low-side MOS transistors constituting upper and lower arms. The target electrical angle represents a margin period between when the low-side MOS transistor was turned off a half cycle ago and the moment when the lower arm on-period has ended. The upper MOS off-timing determining section and the lower MOS off-timing determining section set off timings of the MOS transistors such that the margin period is equivalent to the set value of the target electrical angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Harumi Horihata
  • Patent number: 8710807
    Abstract: A generator has a field coil of a rotor, an armature coil of a stator, a control device supplying an exciting current to the field coil when detecting rotation of the rotor, and a control circuit alternately setting an upper arm transistor and a lower arm transistor in on state in a rectifier module to generate a phase voltage. The control device detects the rotation from a periodic change in a sign of the difference between the phase voltage and a reference voltage. When the rectifier module is overheated, the control circuit sets the upper arm transistor in the off state and sets the lower arm transistor in the on state to almost fix the phase voltage, the control device detects no rotation and stops supplying the exciting current, and the rectifier module generates no phase voltage to decrease temperature of the rectifier module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Harumi Horihata, Hideaki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 8618776
    Abstract: In a power generator, three-phase armature windings and a switching unit are provided for each phase armature winding. The switching unit includes a pair of a high-side switching element with a first diode and a second low-side switching element with a second diode. The switching unit rectifies, through at least one of the high-side switching element, the first diode, the second low-side switching element, and the second diode, a voltage induced in each phase armature winding. A zero-cross detector detects a point of time when a phase current based on the voltage induced in each phase armature winding is reversed in direction as a zero-cross point of the phase current. A determiner determines an off timing of the high-side switching element or the low-side switching element for each phase armature winding relative to the zero-cross point detected by the zero-cross detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Harumi Horihata
  • Patent number: 8570004
    Abstract: The vehicle generator includes a rotor wound with a field winding, a stator wound with a stator winding, rectifier modules respectively connected to corresponding output terminals of the stator winding, and a power generation control device to control a power generation voltage of the vehicle generator formed from outputs of the rectifier modules by controlling an excitation current flowing through the field winding. Each of the rectifier modules includes a pair of a first MOS transistor and a second MOS transistor series-connected between positive and negative terminals of a battery. The rectifier modules are connected with one another through a communication line. The rectifier modules exchange data regarding control of the first and second MOS transistors of the rectifier modules by a pulse train signal transmitted on the communication line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tadatoshi Asada, Harumi Horihata
  • Patent number: 8564255
    Abstract: A vehicle-use electric rotating machine includes a switching section having upper and lower arms each constituted of a switching element parallel-connected with a diode to rectify an AC voltage induced in each phase winding of the electric rotating machine, an on-timing setting section for setting an on timing of each of the switching elements, an off-timing setting section for setting an off timing of each of the switching elements such that, when a time period from when a phase voltage of the phase winding reaches a first threshold value to when the phase voltage reaches a second threshold value different from the first threshold value is referred to as a conduction period, a time period in electrical angle from when the switching element is turned off to when the conduction period ends is equal to a target electrical angle set depending on the rotational speed of the electric rotating machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Nakayama, Harumi Horihata