Patents by Inventor Masahiro Okuyoshi

Masahiro Okuyoshi 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: 11367886
    Abstract: The power controller starts imposing the current limit when a condition for the current limit is met the condition, the condition being that the fuel cell does not generate to fulfill the requested amount of power generation while the fuel cell generates power at an upper limit of the supply capability of the fuel gas supply unit, and the power controller removes the current limit at a first predetermined increase rate determined when the requested amount of power generation exceeds a predetermined threshold below a rated power generation amount of the fuel cell and at a second increase rate higher than the first increase rate when the requested amount of power generation is the threshold or less, after the condition for the limit is dissolved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Bono, Toshihiro Egawa, Masahiro Okuyoshi
  • Patent number: 11031617
    Abstract: A fuel cell system installed in a mobile body comprises; a fuel cell; a gas supply flow path; an injection device provided on the gas supply flow path; a pressure regulating valve configured to be provided more on an upstream side than the injection device on the gas supply flow path, and to autonomously perform an opening/closing operation in accordance with a difference between pressure between the pressure regulating valve and the injection device on the gas supply flow path and pressure on an upstream side of the pressure regulating valve; and a control unit configured to control injection of the reaction gas by the injection device. The control unit calculates an injection interval of the injection device based on an upper limit operation count of the pressure regulating valve set in advance with respect to a predetermined traveling distance of the mobile body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Okuyoshi, Toshihiro Egawa
  • Patent number: 11005114
    Abstract: A plant control system is equipped with a plant, an actuator that controls a state of the plant based on a command value, and an arithmetic device that calculates the command value through the use of state information indicating the state of the plant and that outputs the command value to the actuator. The arithmetic device adopts, as the command value, a value of u obtained by deleting a time differential of y from equations: dy/dt=f(y, u, d, t) and K4×dy/dt=K3×yref?K1×y+K2×(time integral of (yref?y))+K5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Okuyoshi, Tetsuya Bono, Toshihiro Egawa
  • Patent number: 10985390
    Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell system including: a fuel cell; an anode gas supply device; a pressure sensor; a discharge valve; an estimation unit that estimates an anode gas concentration; and a control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Bono, Toshihiro Egawa, Masahiro Okuyoshi
  • Patent number: 10976711
    Abstract: A control device includes a target value acquisition portion configured to acquire a target value of amount of control per predetermined computation cycle, a control portion configured to control the control target using the acquired target value, a target smoothing value calculation portion configured to calculate a target smoothing value in which a temporal change in the target value is slowed down, and a state determination portion configured to calculate a first difference that is a difference between the target value and the target smoothing value to determine that the amount of control is in a transient state when the calculated first difference is equal to or more than a predetermined first threshold value and to determine that the amount of control is in a non-transient state when the first difference is smaller than the first threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Egawa, Tetsuya Bono, Masahiro Okuyoshi
  • Patent number: 10892503
    Abstract: In a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, an anode gas supply channel, an anode gas discharge channel, an injector, a pressure sensor, and a controller, the controller controls the injector so that the pressure on the downstream side of the injector in the anode gas supply channel and does not become lower than target pressure, closes a discharge valve when the amount of discharged anode gas reaches a target discharge amount, the amount of discharged anode gas estimated based on the amount of decrease in the value of the pressure in a first period of the discharge valve open-period, the first period being a period from the point of time after the injector stops the injection and when variation of the pressure falls within a predetermined range to the point of time when the injector next starts the injection, and increases a ratio of the first period to the drive cycle by controlling, during the discharge valve open-period, at least one of the anode gas supply rate of the injector, the amount of electric po
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Okuyoshi, Toshihiro Egawa
  • Patent number: 10797331
    Abstract: A fuel cell system determines whether or not the injector is failed using a determination result, the determination result showing whether or not a fluctuation range determined for power consumed by a hydrogen pump is a predetermined value or less, the fluctuation range being generated by opening and closing of the injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kaori Oya, Masahiro Okuyoshi, Tetsuya Bono
  • Patent number: 10490831
    Abstract: It is possible to suppress errors remaining in the measurement by a pressure sensor. A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a tank storing fuel gas, a fuel gas supply flow path feeding the fuel gas from the tank to the fuel cell, a first pressure reduction unit reducing pressure of the fuel gas and feeding the fuel gas, a first pressure sensor measuring pressure in the fuel gas supply flow path, a second pressure sensor measuring pressure in the fuel gas supply flow path, a switching valve switching execution and stop of supply of the fuel gas, a correction unit correcting the first pressure sensor based on a second measurement value measured by the second pressure sensor, and a controller controlling the fuel cell system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Egawa, Masahiro Okuyoshi
  • Publication number: 20190288313
    Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell system including: a fuel cell; an anode gas supply device; a pressure sensor; a discharge valve; an estimation unit that estimates an anode gas concentration; and a control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya BONO, Toshihiro EGAWA, Masahiro OKUYOSHI
  • Publication number: 20190267642
    Abstract: A plant control system is equipped with a plant, an actuator that controls a state of the plant based on a command value, and an arithmetic device that calculates the command value through the use of state information indicating the state of the plant and that outputs the command value to the actuator. The arithmetic device adopts, as the command value, a value of u obtained by deleting a time differential of y from equations: dy/dt=f(y, u, d, t) and K4×dy/dt=K3×yref?K1×y+K2×(time integral of (yref?y))+K5.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro OKUYOSHI, Tetsuya BONO, Toshihiro EGAWA
  • Publication number: 20190267650
    Abstract: A control device includes a target value acquisition portion configured to acquire a target value of amount of control per predetermined computation cycle, a control portion configured to control the control target using the acquired target value, a target smoothing value calculation portion configured to calculate a target smoothing value in which a temporal change in the target value is slowed down, and a state determination portion configured to calculate a first difference that is a difference between the target value and the target smoothing value to determine that the amount of control is in a transient state when the calculated first difference is equal to or more than a predetermined first threshold value and to determine that the amount of control is in a non-transient state when the first difference is smaller than the first threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshihiro EGAWA, Tetsuya BONO, Masahiro OKUYOSHI
  • Publication number: 20190260049
    Abstract: The power controller starts imposing the current limit when a condition for the current limit is met the condition, the condition being that the fuel cell does not generate to fulfill the requested amount of power generation while the fuel cell generates power at an upper limit of the supply capability of the fuel gas supply unit, and the power controller removes the current limit at a first predetermined increase rate determined when the requested amount of power generation exceeds a predetermined threshold below a rated power generation amount of the fuel cell and at a second increase rate higher than the first increase rate when the requested amount of power generation is the threshold or less, after the condition for the limit is dissolved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya BONO, Toshihiro EGAWA, Masahiro OKUYOSHI
  • Patent number: 10199666
    Abstract: An object is to reduce the noise and the vibration caused in operation of an injector in a non-power generation state of a fuel cell. There is provided a fuel cell system comprising fuel cells configured such that each fuel cell includes an anode, an electrolyte membrane and a cathode; an injector that is configured to supply hydrogen to the anode; and a controller that is configured to control operation of an injector to make pressure of the anode reach a target pressure. In a non-power generation state that is after a start of the fuel cell system but is before power generation of the fuel cells, the controller sets a second target pressure that is higher than a first target pressure to the target pressure and controls operation of the injector to make the pressure of the anode equal to the second target pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Okuyoshi, Hiroyuki Imanishi, Kazuo Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20190036140
    Abstract: In a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, an anode gas supply channel, an anode gas discharge channel, an injector, a pressure sensor, and a controller, the controller controls the injector so that the pressure on the downstream side of the injector in the anode gas supply channel and does not become lower than target pressure, closes a discharge valve when the amount of discharged anode gas reaches a target discharge amount, the amount of discharged anode gas estimated based on the amount of decrease in the value of the pressure in a first period of the discharge valve open-period, the first period being a period from the point of time after the injector stops the injection and when variation of the pressure falls within a predetermined range to the point of time when the injector next starts the injection, and increases a ratio of the first period to the drive cycle by controlling, during the discharge valve open-period, at least one of the anode gas supply rate of the injector, the amount of electric po
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro OKUYOSHI, Toshihiro EGAWA
  • Publication number: 20180366753
    Abstract: A fuel cell system installed in a mobile body comprises; a fuel cell; a gas supply flow path; an injection device provided on the gas supply flow path; a pressure regulating valve configured to be provided more on an upstream side than the injection device on the gas supply flow path, and to autonomously perform an opening/closing operation in accordance with a difference between pressure between the pressure regulating valve and the injection device on the gas supply flow path and pressure on an upstream side of the pressure regulating valve; and a control unit configured to control injection of the reaction gas by the injection device. The control unit calculates an injection interval of the injection device based on an upper limit operation count of the pressure regulating valve set in advance with respect to a predetermined traveling distance of the mobile body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro OKUYOSHI, Toshihiro EGAWA
  • Publication number: 20180331375
    Abstract: It is possible to suppress errors remaining in the measurement by a pressure sensor. A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a tank storing fuel gas, a fuel gas supply flow path feeding the fuel gas from the tank to the fuel cell, a first pressure reduction unit reducing pressure of the fuel gas and feeding the fuel gas, a first pressure sensor measuring pressure in the fuel gas supply flow path, a second pressure sensor measuring pressure in the fuel gas supply flow path, a switching valve switching execution and stop of supply of the fuel gas, a correction unit correcting the first pressure sensor based on a second measurement value measured by the second pressure sensor, and a controller controlling the fuel cell system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Toshihiro EGAWA, Masahiro OKUYOSHI
  • Publication number: 20180261859
    Abstract: A fuel cell system determines whether or not the injector is failed using a determination result, the determination result showing whether or not a fluctuation range determined for power consumed by a hydrogen pump is a predetermined value or less, the fluctuation range being generated by opening and closing of the injector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kaori Oya, Masahiro Okuyoshi, Tetsuya Bono
  • Publication number: 20160380284
    Abstract: An object is to reduce the noise and the vibration caused in operation of an injector in a non-power generation state of a fuel cell. There is provided a fuel cell system comprising fuel cells configured such that each fuel cell includes an anode, an electrolyte membrane and a cathode; an injector that is configured to supply hydrogen to the anode; and a controller that is configured to control operation of an injector to make pressure of the anode reach a target pressure. In a non-power generation state that is after a start of the fuel cell system but is before power generation of the fuel cells, the controller sets a second target pressure that is higher than a first target pressure to the target pressure and controls operation of the injector to make the pressure of the anode equal to the second target pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro OKUYOSHI, Hiroyuki IMANISHI, Kazuo YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 9444115
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that generates electricity by reaction between reaction gases; an electricity amount calculating unit that calculates an amount of electricity generated during a voltage drop of the fuel cell from a current generated during the voltage drop; a reaction gas substance amount calculating unit that calculates an amount of substance of at least one of the reaction gases in the fuel cell on the basis of the amount of electricity generated during the voltage drop; a gas volume calculating unit that calculates a gas volume in the fuel cell on the basis of the amount of substance of the at least one of the reaction gases; and a liquid water volume calculating unit that subtracts the gas volume from a fluid flow passage volume in the fuel cell to calculate a liquid water volume in the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masahiro Okuyoshi
  • Patent number: 8916303
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell including a cell laminate; an estimating unit for estimating a residual water content distribution in the reactant gas flow channel in a cell plane of each of the single cells and a moisture content distribution in the electrolyte membrane in consideration of water transfer through the electrolyte membrane between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode; and an operation control unit for limiting an electric current drawn from the fuel cell when a residual water content in the reactant gas flow channel estimated by the estimating unit is equal to or above a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Okuyoshi, Masaaki Matsusue, Masashi Toida