Patents by Inventor Hirofumi Atarashi

Hirofumi Atarashi 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: 8749184
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an electric motor provided with a rotator having a permanent magnet and with a stator for generating a rotating magnetic field by an applied voltage and revolving the rotator includes: a rectangular wave inverter that applies a rectangular wave voltage onto the stator of the electric motor to drive the electric motor; a voltage converting section that raises or lowers an output voltage of a direct-current power supply and applies the voltage onto the rectangular wave inverter; an electrical angle acquiring section that acquires an electrical angle of the rotator of the electric motor; and an output voltage command generating section that generates a command for instructing the voltage converting section to output an electrical-angle synchronized voltage whose amplitude ripples in synchronization with a change of the electrical angle of the rotator acquired by the electrical angle acquiring section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Hitoshi Horikawa, Toshiyuki Nishida, Yoshie Kita
  • Patent number: 8604739
    Abstract: A controller for an axial gap-type motor (3) comprises a rotor (11) having a permanent magnet and a first stator (12a) and a second stator (12b) opposed to each other with the rotor (11) interposed therebetween in the axial direction of revolution of the rotor (11). The controller further includes an electrification control portion which supplies a torque current (Iq) for generating a magnetic field to revolve the rotor (11) to an armature winding (13a) of the first stator (12a) and supplies a field current (+Id) for reinforcing the magnetic flux by the permanent magnet of the rotor (11) or a field current (?Id) for weakening the magnetic flux to an armature winding (13b) of the second stator (12b). Consequently, the controllable range of the motor is increased and the axial gap-type motor can be operated at higher velocity and higher torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 8517126
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electric vehicle which receives power from a road surface by means of a wireless connection, in which an optimal configuration of a repeater (which is a resonator) and a receiving coil relative to the vehicle body is clarified. A first coil configuring the repeater forms a first wireless connection with a receiver coil, and a second coil forms a second wireless connection with a transmitting coil. The first coil is proximally arranged below the receiving coil and is aligned with the receiving coil, which is on the top side of a vehicle underbody panel; the second coil is arranged on the bottom side of the vehicle underbody panel. A performance indicator k*Q of the path from the transmitting coil below the road surface to the receiving coil of the electric vehicle is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 8339010
    Abstract: An electric motor (10) is constructed with an inner circumference side rotor (11) and an outer circumference side rotor (12) which are coaxially arranged; and planetary gear mechanism which rotates at least one of the inner circumference side rotor (11) and the outer circumference side rotor (12) around an rotary shaft O. Long sides of substantially plate-like inner circumference side permanent magnets (11a) of the inner circumference side rotor (11) and those of substantially plate-like outer circumference side permanent magnets (12a) of the outer circumference side rotor (12) are arranged so as to face each other by the rotation of at least one of the inner circumference side rotor (11) and the outer circumference side rotor (12) in a cross section perpendicular to the rotary shaft O with the planetary gear mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Shoei Abe, Tamotsu Kawamura, Hiromitsu Sato
  • Publication number: 20120318586
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electric vehicle which receives power from a road surface by means of a wireless connection, in which an optimal configuration of a repeater (which is a resonator) and a receiving coil relative to the vehicle body is clarified. A first coil configuring the repeater forms a first wireless connection with a receiver coil, and a second coil forms a second wireless connection with a transmitting coil. The first coil is proximally arranged below the receiving coil and is aligned with the receiving coil, which is on the top side of a vehicle underbody panel; the second coil is arranged on the bottom side of the vehicle underbody panel. A performance indicator k*Q of the path from the transmitting coil below the road surface to the receiving coil of the electric vehicle is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 8283829
    Abstract: There is provided an axial gap motor including a rotor rotatable around a rotation axis; and a first stator and a second stator arranged to face each other with the rotor therebetween from both sides of the rotor in the rotation axis direction of the rotor, wherein the rotor includes a plurality of main permanent magnets having magnetizing directions in the rotation axis direction of the rotor and arranged in a peripheral direction of the rotor; a partition member arranged between the main permanent magnets which are adjacent to each other in the peripheral direction of the rotor, the partition member including a nonmagnetic material; and auxiliary permanent magnets having a magnetizing direction that is orthogonal both to the rotation axis direction of the rotor and a radial direction of the rotor, and arranged on both sides of the partition member in the rotation axis direction of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiichi Yamamoto, Hirofumi Atarashi, Shoei Abe
  • Publication number: 20120242262
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an electric motor provided with a rotator having a permanent magnet and with a stator for generating a rotating magnetic field by an applied voltage and revolving the rotator includes: a rectangular wave inverter that applies a rectangular wave voltage onto the stator of the electric motor to drive the electric motor; a voltage converting section that raises or lowers an output voltage of a direct-current power supply and applies the voltage onto the rectangular wave inverter; an electrical angle acquiring section that acquires an electrical angle of the rotator of the electric motor; and an output voltage command generating section that generates a command for instructing the voltage converting section to output an electrical-angle synchronized voltage whose amplitude ripples in synchronization with a change of the electrical angle of the rotator acquired by the electrical angle acquiring section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Hitoshi Horikawa, Toshiyuki Nishida, Masato Kita, Yoshie Kita
  • Patent number: 8053942
    Abstract: The present axial gap motor is provided with: a rotor that is rotatable around a rotation axis; and a pair of stators that are opposed to each other with the rotor interposed therebetween from both sides in a rotation axis direction which is parallel with the rotation axis of the rotor. The rotor includes: a plurality of main magnets arranged in a circumferential direction so that a flux direction is parallel with the rotation axis direction; a sub permanent magnet which is disposed in the vicinity of a circumferential end portion of the main magnet and is magnetized in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction and a radial direction; and a magnetic member which is provided on a surface of at least one of the one side and the other side in the rotation axis direction of the main magnet. A length of the magnetic member in the rotation axis direction is larger than a length of the sub permanent magnet in the rotation axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoei Abe, Hirofumi Atarashi, Keiichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8040008
    Abstract: The axial gap motor includes the rotor having: a rotor frame including a plurality of ribs extending in a radial direction, an inner circumferential side annular shaft, and an outer circumferential side annular rim, which are integrally coupled to each other through the ribs; the shaft has shaft side rib mounting holes through which the ribs are mounted, the rim has rim side rib mounting holes through which the ribs are mounted, the ribs have radial inner ends mounted and fixed into the shaft side rib mounting holes and radial outer ends mounted and fixed into the rim side rib mounting holes, and in the rotor frame, the main magnets and the sub magnets are alternately disposed in the circumferential direction, between the shaft and the rim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Kawamura, Keiichi Yamamoto, Hirofumi Atarashi, Shoei Abe, Shigeru Tajima
  • Patent number: 8040093
    Abstract: A motor controller for an axial-gap motor permits a reduced size of the entire system of including a drive circuit and a power source of the motor, reduced cost, and higher reliability to be achieved by controlling the energization mode of the motor. The motor controller has a torque command determiner which inputs a first DC voltage to a first inverter at least either when a rotor is at a halt or when the number of revolutions of the rotor is a predetermined number of revolutions or less, supplies a field axis current for changing the magnetic flux of a field of the rotor to a first stator from the first inverter such that the amount of energization is temporally changed, converts an induced voltage developed in a second stator by the supplied field axis current into a second DC voltage by a second inverter, and outputs the second DC voltage, thereby charging a second battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 8035266
    Abstract: An axial gap motor includes: a rotor; and a stator, wherein: the rotor includes a plurality of main permanent magnet parts and a plurality of auxiliary permanent magnet parts, the auxiliary permanent magnet parts being disposed near an end portion of each of the main permanent magnet parts and a magnetizing direction of each of the auxiliary permanent magnet parts corresponding to a direction perpendicular to the direction of the rotational axis; each of the stators includes a plurality of teeth arranged in a circumferential direction and protruding toward the rotor along the rotational axis, and a circumferential distance between a circumferential direction first end and a circumferential direction second end of each of the auxiliary permanent magnet parts on a surface opposite the stator is larger than a slot width of a slot defined between the teeth adjacent in the circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Shoei Abe, Keiichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8030816
    Abstract: A rotor (11) is provided with: a main permanent magnet mounting layer (21) having a plurality of main permanent magnets (21a) mounted thereon; a first sub permanent magnet mounting layer (22) having a plurality of first sub permanent magnets (22a) mounted thereon; a second sub permanent magnet mounting layer (23) having a plurality of second sub permanent magnets (23a) mounted thereon; and a phase change mechanism capable, by turning at least either one of the first sub permanent magnet mounting layer (22) and the second permanent magnet mounting layer (23), and the main permanent magnet mounting layer (21) about the rotational axis, of changing the relative phase between the first sub permanent magnet mounting layer (22) and the second permanent magnet mounting layer (23), and the main permanent magnet mounting layer (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Keiichi Yamamoto, Shoei Abe, Shigeru Tajima
  • Patent number: 7999501
    Abstract: A motor controller (2) for an axial-gap motor (1), which has a rotor (3), two stators (4, 5) disposed on both sides of the rotor (3) in the axial direction, and armature windings (6, 7) wrapped around the stators (4, 5), includes a field current controller (43, 44) which adjusts the field current in the current supplied to the armature windings (6, 7) of at least one of the stators (4, 5) so as to restrain a thrust force acting on the rotor (3) in the axial direction of the rotor (3). This restrains the thrust force acting on the rotor (3) of the axial-gap motor (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 7977843
    Abstract: The axial gap type motor according to the present invention is provided with: a rotor and a first stator and a second stator, wherein the first and second stators includes an annular back yoke and a plurality of teeth which is provided on the annular back yoke at predetermined intervals in a peripheral direction so as to protrude toward the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis; the peripheral pitch of the plurality of teeth of the first and second stators are equal to each other; and in a case where the first stator and the second stator which sandwich the rotor therebetween in the direction of the rotation axis are seen from one side in the direction of the rotation axis, facing surfaces of the teeth of the first and second stators which face to the rotor are formed so as not to overlap completely each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Shoei Abe, Keiichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7898199
    Abstract: In a predetermined operating state of an electric motor of an axial air-gap type, control is carried out as follows. A phase difference between an electric current supplied to an armature winding of one of the stators and an electric current supplied to an armature winding of the other stator is set so as to suppress a variation in an output torque of the electric motor, and electric currents having the phase difference are supplied to the armature windings of the stators. A variation in output torque can be suppressed only in an operating state where the variation in output torque of the electric motor is to be suppressed, and the output torque and the energy efficiency of the electric motor can be enhanced sufficiently in the other operating states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Atarashi
  • Patent number: 7898200
    Abstract: A controller able to efficiently operate an electric motor of an axial air-gap type as an electric motor and an electricity generator is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Shoei Abe, Keiichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7872440
    Abstract: A controller of an electric motor for improving operation efficiency in performing electric conducting control of the electric motor of an axial air-gap type is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Shoei Abe, Keiichi Yamamoto, Shigeru Tajima
  • Patent number: 7863792
    Abstract: A rotor (11) is provided with: a main permanent magnet mounting layer (21) having a plurality of main permanent magnets (21a) mounted thereon; a first sub permanent magnet mounting layer (22) having a plurality of first sub permanent magnets (22a) mounted thereon; a second sub permanent magnet mounting layer (23) having a plurality of second sub permanent magnets (23a) mounted thereon; and a phase change mechanism capable, by turning at least either one of the first sub permanent magnet mounting layer (22) and the second permanent magnet mounting layer (23), and the main permanent magnet mounting layer (21) about the rotational axis, of changing the relative phase between the first sub permanent magnet mounting layer (22) and the second permanent magnet mounting layer (23), and the main permanent magnet mounting layer (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Atarashi, Keiichi Yamamoto, Shoei Abe, Shigeru Tajima
  • Patent number: 7830106
    Abstract: A controller for a motor that can set an induced voltage constant of a motor of a double rotor type according to an operational state of the motor and expand the controllable range of the motor. The controller may include a command calculator that calculates a command value of the induced voltage constant of a motor based on the output voltage of a direct-current power supply, the number of revolutions Nm of the motor and a torque command in such a manner that the magnitude of a vector sum of a d-axis current and a q-axis current that have to be supplied in order to produce the torque according to the torque command is minimized, and a phase difference controller that calculates a command value of a rotor phase difference according to the command value and outputs the command value to an actuator to change the rotor phase difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Masanari Fukuchi, Hirofumi Atarashi, Kenji Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 7818111
    Abstract: This motor control apparatus is provided with: a reduced energy calculation device that calculates a reduced energy that is produced when a drive mode of a hybrid vehicle is shifted from a drive mode driven by a motor to a drive mode driven by an internal combustion engine and if the phase of the motor is changed from the present phase to the arbitrary required phase; a displacement energy calculation device that calculates a displacement energy that is produced when the present phase is changed to the arbitrary required phase; and a phase change permission device that compares the reduced energy and the displacement energy, and permits changing from the present phase to the required phase when it is determined that the reduced energy is greater than the displacement energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Fujishiro, Hirofumi Atarashi, Masashi Tanaka