Patents by Inventor Kenji Umayahara
Kenji Umayahara 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).
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Patent number: 11489182Abstract: A fuel cell system configured to supply electric power to load includes: a fuel cell; and a control unit configured to set target electric power to be generated by the fuel cell and control electric power generation by the fuel cell such that the fuel cell generates the target electric power. The control unit is configured to, when setting the target electric power using request electric power that the load requests the fuel cell to generate, execute a fluctuation suppression process for making a fluctuation of the target electric power smaller than a fluctuation of the request electric power.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2020Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tetsuya Bono, Kenji Umayahara
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Patent number: 11367884Abstract: A hydrogen supply system comprises a hydrogen station placed near a railroad track and configured to supply hydrogen to a moving body that is driven with a fuel cell used as an electric power source; and a train provided with a hydrogen tank and configured to run along the railroad track and transport hydrogen to the hydrogen station.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2019Date of Patent: June 21, 2022Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeki Takaiwa, Masahiro Yamakawa, Hideshi Mizutani, Kenji Umayahara, Takao Ozawa, Shigeyuki Suzuki
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Patent number: 11342568Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell, a hydrogen tank, a driving motor, a power feeder and a controller. The controller is configured to: obtain current location information of the fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen supply position information, a fuel consumption of the fuel cell vehicle in a drive mode, a remaining amount of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen tank, and a consumed amount of hydrogen per unit time in a power feed mode; calculate an amount of hydrogen that is required for the fuel cell vehicle to drive from the current location to the supply position; calculate a power feedable time period when the fuel cell vehicle is operable in the power feed mode without causing the remaining amount of hydrogen to become less than the required amount of hydrogen, and display information with regard to the power feedable period.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2019Date of Patent: May 24, 2022Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenji Umayahara, Shigeki Takaiwa, Masahiro Yamakawa, Hideshi Mizutani, Takao Ozawa, Shigeyuki Suzuki
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Patent number: 11285822Abstract: An electric power system includes a secondary battery configured to supply electric power to a drive motor, configured to generate driving force of a vehicle, and an auxiliary having an auxiliary smoothing capacitor, a secondary battery relay configured to open or close an electrical contact between the secondary battery and the drive motor, a secondary battery smoothing capacitor connected between the secondary battery relay and the drive motor, an auxiliary relay configured to open or close an electrical contact between the secondary battery and the auxiliary, and a control unit configured to control a switching operation of each of the secondary battery relay and the auxiliary relay. The control unit is configured to, at startup of the vehicle, precharge the secondary battery smoothing capacitor by closing the secondary battery relay and then precharge the auxiliary smoothing capacitor by closing the auxiliary relay.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2020Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiro Ogawa, Kenji Umayahara, Ryota Kawaguchi, Shota Okada
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Patent number: 11214151Abstract: A voltage control system includes: a converter controlling portion; a current value acquisition portion; and a voltage value acquisition portion. The converter controlling portion sets a duty ratio in a present cycle by adding an addition term to a feedforward term, the addition term being determined by use of a current deviation, which is a difference between a target value of an output current in the present cycle and a current measured value in a previous cycle, and the duty ratio in the previous cycle, the addition term being corresponding to an increase of the output current in the present cycle.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2017Date of Patent: January 4, 2022Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yutaka Tano, Kenji Umayahara, Takahiro Umehara
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Patent number: 11152632Abstract: A fuel cell system is equipped with a plurality of subsystems. Each of the plurality of the subsystems is equipped with a fuel cell stack, a temperature sensor, a scavenging device, and a control unit. The control unit of that one of the subsystems having the fuel cell stack whose temperature is specified as being the lowest among the plurality of the subsystems when the fuel cell system is stopped from operating performs scavenging control including a determination on the carrying out of scavenging in the subsystem and the issuance of a command to carry out scavenging to all the subsystems in accordance with the determination.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2020Date of Patent: October 19, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiro Ogawa, Kenji Umayahara, Ryota Kawaguchi, Yuji Murata
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Patent number: 11069204Abstract: An energy generation system using biomass includes a first information generation unit that generates the first information indicating that a distributor handling food has disposed of food waste biomass, an energy generation device that generates energy and the like using biomass collected from the distributor, a second information generation unit that generates the second information indicating that energy and the like have been generated using biomass collected from the distributor, a third information generation unit that obtains the first information and the second information and generates the third information indicating generation of at least one of energy and energy sources by collecting biomass disposed by the distributor, and a display unit that displays the third information generated by the third information generation unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2019Date of Patent: July 20, 2021Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenji Umayahara, Shigeki Takaiwa, Masahiro Yamakawa, Hideshi Mizutani, Takao Ozawa, Shigeyuki Suzuki
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Patent number: 11018357Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells are stacked; a voltage sensor configured to measure a cell voltage of the fuel cell; and a pressure sensor configured to measure an anode gas pressure in the fuel cell. When the cell voltage is lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, in a state in which an amount of supply of cathode gas to the fuel cell is secured, and a rate of decrease in the anode gas pressure is larger than a predetermined threshold rate, it is determined that a cross leak abnormality has occurred in the fuel cell.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2019Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tornio Yamanaka, Kenji Umayahara
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Patent number: 10868316Abstract: When the fuel cell stack is operated in a state in which the air stoichiometric ratio is smaller than the predetermined value, the controller calculates the amount of retained water that has been retained in the cathode flow path of the fuel battery cell per fixed time in such a way that the calculated amount includes an extra amount therein, integrates the amount of retained water per fixed time that has been calculated in such a way that the calculated amount includes the extra amount therein, and executes air blow in the cathode flow path of the fuel battery cell when the integrated value of the amount of retained water becomes equal to or larger than the threshold.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2019Date of Patent: December 15, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiro Ogawa, Tomotaka Ishikawa, Tomio Yamanaka, Ryoichi Nanba, Kenji Umayahara
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Patent number: 10818945Abstract: A voltage control system includes a converter device, and a controller configured to set a duty ratio according to a current target value so as to cause the converter device to repeatedly perform a boost operation according to the duty ratio. The controller is configured to set the duty ratio by use of a basic term including a feedforward term, and an additional term, the feedforward term being derived by use of a measured value of a magnitude of an input of a reactor provided in the converter device and a measured value of a magnitude of an output of the reactor or by use of respective target values of the magnitude of the input and the magnitude of the output in the reactor, the additional term being derived by use of the variation of the current target value during one cycle.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2017Date of Patent: October 27, 2020Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yutaka Tano, Kenji Umayahara, Takahiro Umehara, Tomoya Ogawa
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Publication number: 20200307396Abstract: An electric power system includes a secondary battery configured to supply electric power to a drive motor, configured to generate driving force of a vehicle, and an auxiliary having an auxiliary smoothing capacitor, a secondary battery relay configured to open or close an electrical contact between the secondary battery and the drive motor, a secondary battery smoothing capacitor connected between the secondary battery relay and the drive motor, an auxiliary relay configured to open or close an electrical contact between the secondary battery and the auxiliary, and a control unit configured to control a switching operation of each of the secondary battery relay and the auxiliary relay. The control unit is configured to, at startup of the vehicle, precharge the secondary battery smoothing capacitor by closing the secondary battery relay and then precharge the auxiliary smoothing capacitor by closing the auxiliary relay.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 20, 2020Publication date: October 1, 2020Inventors: Tomohiro OGAWA, Kenji UMAYAHARA, Ryota KAWAGUCHI, Shota OKADA
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Publication number: 20200295392Abstract: A fuel cell system configured to supply electric power to load includes: a fuel cell; and a control unit configured to set target electric power to be generated by the fuel cell and control electric power generation by the fuel cell such that the fuel cell generates the target electric power. The control unit is configured to, when setting the target electric power using request electric power that the load requests the fuel cell to generate, execute a fluctuation suppression process for making a fluctuation of the target electric power smaller than a fluctuation of the request electric power.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2020Publication date: September 17, 2020Inventors: Tetsuya BONO, Kenji UMAYAHARA
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Publication number: 20200280082Abstract: A fuel cell system is equipped with a plurality of subsystems. Each of the plurality of the subsystems is equipped with a fuel cell stack, a temperature sensor, a scavenging device, and a control unit. The control unit of that one of the subsystems having the fuel cell stack whose temperature is specified as being the lowest among the plurality of the subsystems when the fuel cell system is stopped from operating performs scavenging control including a determination on the carrying out of scavenging in the subsystem and the issuance of a command to carry out scavenging to all the subsystems in accordance with the determination.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2020Publication date: September 3, 2020Inventors: Tomohiro OGAWA, Kenji UMAYAHARA, Ryota KAWAGUCHI, Yuji MURATA
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Patent number: 10644334Abstract: An MG-ECU obtains a rotational speed Na of an ACP. The MG-ECU transmits the obtained rotational speed (a PM reception rotational speed) Na of the ACP to a PM-ECU through communication. The PM-ECU obtains a rotational speed predicted value Np by adding a rotational speed change width Cvw to the PM reception rotational speed Na received from the delayed MG-ECU. A limit torque Tr12 is obtained through the use of the obtained rotational speed predicted value Np and an ACP permissible power level line L1.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2017Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ryo Kajiura, Kenji Umayahara
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Publication number: 20200091524Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle comprises a fuel cell, a hydrogen tank, a driving motor, a power feeder and a controller.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2019Publication date: March 19, 2020Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kenji UMAYAHARA, Shigeki TAKAIWA, Masahiro YAMAKAWA, Hideshi MIZUTANI, Takao OZAWA, Shigeyuki SUZUKI
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Publication number: 20200082681Abstract: An energy generation system using biomass includes a first information generation unit that generates the first information indicating that a distributor handling food has disposed of food waste biomass, an energy generation device that generates energy and the like using biomass collected from the distributor, a second information generation unit that generates the second information indicating that energy and the like have been generated using biomass collected from the distributor, a third information generation unit that obtains the first information and the second information and generates the third information indicating generation of at least one of energy and energy sources by collecting biomass disposed by the distributor, and a display unit that displays the third information generated by the third information generation unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 27, 2019Publication date: March 12, 2020Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kenji UMAYAHARA, Shigeki TAKAIWA, Masahiro YAMAKAWA, Hideshi MIZUTANI, Takao OZAWA, Shigeyuki SUZUKI
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Publication number: 20200067114Abstract: A hydrogen supply system comprises a hydrogen station placed near a railroad track and configured to supply hydrogen to a moving body that is driven with a fuel cell used as an electric power source; and a train provided with a hydrogen tank and configured to run along the railroad track and transport hydrogen to the hydrogen station.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2019Publication date: February 27, 2020Inventors: Shigeki TAKAIWA, Masahiro YAMAKAWA, Hideshi MIZUTANI, Kenji UMAYAHARA, Takao OZAWA, Shigeyuki SUZUKI
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Patent number: 10497995Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell system. When receiving an instruction to start power generation of the fuel cell system, the fuel cell system is configured: (i) to obtain an output limit value of a secondary battery according to a predetermined relationship of a temperature of the secondary battery to the output limit value of the secondary battery by using the temperature of the secondary battery; (ii) to control a battery converter such as to increase a voltage of a smoothing capacitor for boosting included in the battery converter to a start-time target voltage that is higher than an open circuit voltage of a fuel cell, such that an output power of the secondary battery does not exceed the output limit value; and (iii) to operate the compressor such as to start supplying the cathode gas by the cathode gas supply system and to open the main stop valve such as to start supplying the anode gas by the anode gas supply system.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2017Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yuji Kakeno, Kenji Umayahara, Takao Watanabe
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Patent number: 10427685Abstract: A vehicle capable of regenerative braking includes a motor that is configured to be driven with electric power. The vehicle selectively sets a drive mode of the vehicle in an accelerator-off state between an ordinary mode and a deceleration enhanced mode that decelerates the vehicle with higher deceleration force than deceleration force in the ordinary mode. The vehicle performs regenerative control of the motor in the ordinary mode or performs deceleration control of generating the deceleration force in the deceleration enhanced mode, in order to decelerate the vehicle in the set drive mode. When an accelerator stroke based on a driver's depression of an accelerator becomes higher than a cancellation threshold in the drive mode set to the deceleration enhanced mode, the cancellation threshold being determined in advance corresponding to the accelerator stroke being greater than zero, the vehicle changes the drive mode from the deceleration enhanced mode to the ordinary mode.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2017Date of Patent: October 1, 2019Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenji Umayahara, Mitsuhiro Nada, Takuya Nakagami
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Publication number: 20190267646Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells are stacked; a voltage sensor configured to measure a cell voltage of the fuel cell; and a pressure sensor configured to measure an anode gas pressure in the fuel cell. When the cell voltage is lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, in a state in which an amount of supply of cathode gas to the fuel cell is secured, and a rate of decrease in the anode gas pressure is larger than a predetermined threshold rate, it is determined that a cross leak abnormality has occurred in the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2019Publication date: August 29, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomio YAMANAKA, Kenji UMAYAHARA