Patents by Inventor Kouta Manabe

Kouta Manabe 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: 8603687
    Abstract: In order to assure drive of a drive motor, a boost operation of a boost device is appropriately performed by judging whether a voltage supplied from a fuel cell suffices a voltage required for driving the drive motor, thereby suppressing a switching loss by the boost device. A fuel cell system is a power source for driving a load. The system includes: a drive motor driven by an electric power; a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction between an oxidizing gas containing oxygen and a fuel gas containing hydrogen and supplies an electric power to the drive motor; a first boost device which can boosts the voltage outputted from the fuel cell and supplies the boosted voltage to the drive motor; and boost control means which controls voltage boost performed by the first boost device according to the relationship between the fuel cell output voltage and the voltage required by the drive motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Hamada, Nobuyuki Kitamura, Kouta Manabe, Hiroyuki Imanishi
  • Patent number: 8518590
    Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8018196
    Abstract: A power source system (1) includes a fuel cell (40) and a battery (20) connected in parallel. A DC-DC converter (30) is connected to the battery (20) side. A maximum output ratio of the fuel cell (40) and the battery (20) is set in a range in which the output of the fuel cell falls within 65 to 80% of the total output. Accordingly, electric power loss due to the DC-DC converter (30) is controlled, whereby a high energy efficiency can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe
  • Publication number: 20100316922
    Abstract: In order to assure drive of a drive motor, a boost operation of a boost device is appropriately performed by judging whether a voltage supplied from a fuel cell suffices a voltage required for driving the drive motor, thereby suppressing a switching loss by the boost device. A fuel cell system is a power source for driving a load. The system includes: a drive motor driven by an electric power; a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction between an oxidizing gas containing oxygen and a fuel gas containing hydrogen and supplies an electric power to the drive motor; a first boost device which can boosts the voltage outputted from the fuel cell and supplies the boosted voltage to the drive motor; and boost control means which controls voltage boost performed by the first boost device according to the relationship between the fuel cell output voltage and the voltage required by the drive motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2008
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenichi Hamada, Nobuyuki Kitamura, Kouta Manabe, Hiroyuki Imanishi
  • Publication number: 20100119900
    Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KAKUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7583050
    Abstract: A power source system (1) includes a fuel cell (40) and a battery (20) connected in parallel. A DC-DC converter (30) is connected to the battery (20) side. A maximum output ratio of the fuel cell (40) and the battery (20) is set in a range in which the output of the fuel cell falls within 65 to 80% of the total output. Accordingly, electric power loss due to the DC-DC converter (30) is controlled, whereby a high energy efficiency can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe
  • Publication number: 20080254329
    Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KAKUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi SUGIURA, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7410711
    Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20060208691
    Abstract: A power source system (1) includes a fuel cell (40) and a battery (20) connected in parallel. A DC-DC converter (30) is connected to the battery (20) side. A maximum output ratio of the fuel cell (40) and the battery (20) is set in a range in which the output of the fuel cell falls within 65 to 80% of the total output. Accordingly, electric power loss due to the DC-DC converter (30) is controlled, whereby a high energy efficiency can be achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe
  • Patent number: 6920948
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a fuel cell and a battery connected in parallel. A DC-DC converter is connected to the battery. A maximum output ratio of the fuel cell and the battery is set to be in a range where the output of the fuel cell is within 65 to 80% of the total output. Accordingly, electric power loss owing to conversion performed by the DC-DC converter is reduced to achieve a high energy efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Toyoda Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe
  • Patent number: 6818337
    Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20040214061
    Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20040056633
    Abstract: A power source system (1) includes a fuel cell (40) and a battery (20) connected in parallel. A DC-DC converter (30) is connected to the battery (20) side. A maximum output ratio of the fuel cell (40) and the battery (20) is set in a range in which the output of the fuel cell falls within 65 to 80% of the total output. Accordingly, electric power loss due to the DC-DC converter (30) is controlled, whereby a high energy efficiency can be achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Publication date: March 25, 2004
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe
  • Publication number: 20020064697
    Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2001
    Publication date: May 30, 2002
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20020038732
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a fuel cell and a battery connected in parallel. A DC-DC converter is connected to the battery. A maximum output ratio of the fuel cell and the battery is set to be in a range where the output of the fuel cell is within 65 to 80% of the total output. Accordingly, electric power loss owing to conversion performed by the DC-DC converter is reduced to achieve a high energy efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Publication date: April 4, 2002
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugiura, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa, Nobuo Watanabe, Kouta Manabe
  • Patent number: 6120115
    Abstract: In a braking energy control apparatus and method for a vehicle equipped with an electric motor, a predetermined amount of braking energy can be achieved, regardless of the charged condition of a battery, when a brake pedal is off. Drive wheels are driven by a drive force from an engine and the motor. A braking energy control device performs ensemble control of a regenerative braking energy control device that controls the motor and a friction braking energy control device that controls liquid pressure supplied to wheel cylinders, and thereby controls the braking energy when the brake pedal is on or off. The coordinate control of regenerative braking energy and friction braking energy is performed not only when the brake pedal is on but also when the brake pedal is off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kouta Manabe