Patents by Inventor Kazushi AKAMATSU

Kazushi AKAMATSU 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: 11664508
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a plurality of fuel cell units each including a fuel cell, a fuel cell cooling system having a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a primary-side coolant, and a secondary-side coolant flowing through the fuel cell, and a coolant pump that adjusts the flow rate of the secondary-side coolant, and a controller that controls the fuel cell, a cooling device, and a cooling system that supplies the primary-side coolant from the cooling device to each fuel cell unit. During stop of operation of the fuel cell system, the cooling device supplies the primary-side coolant having a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature to each fuel cell unit, and the controller activates the coolant pump to cause the secondary-side coolant to flow through the heat exchanger, in one or more fuel cell units in which the fuel cell has a possibility of freezing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA IDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomotaka Ishikawa, Satoshi Watanabe, Kazushi Akamatsu
  • Patent number: 11532828
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a plurality of fuel cell units of which each includes a fuel cell, an air supply pipe, an air supply device, an air discharge pipe, and a control unit; and an exhaust pipe connected to the plurality of air discharge pipes and configured to discharge exhaust gas to the outside of the fuel cell system. The control units of the plurality of fuel cell units are configured such that, when one or more fuel cell units included in the plurality of fuel cell units are operating to generate electric power and each of the remainder of the plurality of fuel cell units is not operating to generate electric power, the control unit of the fuel cell unit that is not operating to generate electric power activates the air supply device of the corresponding fuel cell unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomotaka Ishikawa, Satoshi Watanabe, Kazushi Akamatsu
  • Patent number: 11476475
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes fuel cell units each including a fuel cell stack, an anode gas discharge system configured to discharge anode gas from the fuel cell stack, and a cathode gas supply and discharge system configured to supply cathode gas to the fuel cell stack and discharge cathode gas from the fuel cell stack, a mixed gas discharge system configured to mix gas discharged from the anode gas discharge system and the cathode gas supply and discharge system of each fuel cell unit and discharge the mixed gas, and a controller configured to control the fuel cell units. The controller is configured to control at least one of the anode gas discharge system and the cathode gas supply and discharge system of each fuel cell unit to shift a time at which gas to be discharged from each fuel cell unit merges in the mixed gas discharge system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomotaka Ishikawa, Satoshi Watanabe, Kazushi Akamatsu
  • Publication number: 20220200019
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a plurality of fuel cell units each including a fuel cell, a fuel cell cooling system having a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a primary-side coolant, and a secondary-side coolant flowing through the fuel cell, and a coolant pump that adjusts the flow rate of the secondary-side coolant, and a controller that controls the fuel cell, a cooling device, and a cooling system that supplies the primary-side coolant from the cooling device to each fuel cell unit. During stop of operation of the fuel cell system, the cooling device supplies the primary-side coolant having a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature to each fuel cell unit, and the controller activates the coolant pump to cause the secondary-side coolant to flow through the heat exchanger, in one or more fuel cell units in which the fuel cell has a possibility of freezing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Tomotaka ISHIKAWA, Satoshi WATANABE, Kazushi AKAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20220109168
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes fuel cell units each including a fuel cell stack, an anode gas discharge system configured to discharge anode gas from the fuel cell stack, and a cathode gas supply and discharge system configured to supply cathode gas to the fuel cell stack and discharge cathode gas from the fuel cell stack, a mixed gas discharge system configured to mix gas discharged from the anode gas discharge system and the cathode gas supply and discharge system of each fuel cell unit and discharge the mixed gas, and a controller configured to control the fuel cell units. The controller is configured to control at least one of the anode gas discharge system and the cathode gas supply and discharge system of each fuel cell unit to shift a time at which gas to be discharged from each fuel cell unit merges in the mixed gas discharge system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Tomotaka ISHIKAWA, Satoshi WATANABE, Kazushi AKAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20220085394
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a plurality of fuel cell units of which each includes a fuel cell, an air supply pipe, an air supply device, an air discharge pipe, and a control unit; and an exhaust pipe connected to the plurality of air discharge pipes and configured to discharge exhaust gas to the outside of the fuel cell system. The control units of the plurality of fuel cell units are configured such that, when one or more fuel cell units included in the plurality of fuel cell units are operating to generate electric power and each of the remainder of the plurality of fuel cell units is not operating to generate electric power, the control unit of the fuel cell unit that is not operating to generate electric power activates the air supply device of the corresponding fuel cell unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Tomotaka ISHIKAWA, Satoshi WATANABE, Kazushi AKAMATSU
  • Patent number: 10802080
    Abstract: A battery system includes: a battery; a voltage detector that detects a voltage of the battery as a detected voltage value; a current detector that detects a current flowing through the battery as a detected current value; and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to estimate an aging deterioration of the battery based on an open circuit voltage value that is calculated from the detected voltage value and an integrated current value that is calculated from the detected current value, and estimate the aging deterioration of the battery based on the open circuit voltage value and the integrated current value that are calculated when a charge level of the battery is in the non-hysteresis region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Takahashi, Kazushi Akamatsu, Kiyohito Machida
  • Publication number: 20180313906
    Abstract: A battery system includes: a battery; a voltage detector that detects a voltage of the battery as a detected voltage value; a current detector that detects a current flowing through the battery as a detected current value; and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to estimate an aging deterioration of the battery based on an open circuit voltage value that is calculated from the detected voltage value and an integrated current value that is calculated from the detected current value, and estimate the aging deterioration of the battery based on the open circuit voltage value and the integrated current value that are calculated when a charge level of the battery is in the non-hysteresis region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji TAKAHASHI, Kazushi AKAMATSU, Kiyohito MACHIDA