Patents by Inventor Osamu Hamanoi

Osamu Hamanoi 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).

  • Publication number: 20240136554
    Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle may include: a fuel cell stack configured to generate electric power for a traction motor; a compressor configured to supply air to the fuel cell stack, the compressor including an impeller and a motor configured to rotate the impeller; and a controller configured to decrease a rotation speed of the motor when detecting accelerator-off. The controller may be configured to decrease the rotation speed at a first deceleration rate when an air outlet pressure of the compressor is higher than a pressure threshold, and decrease the rotation speed at a second deceleration rate when the air outlet pressure of the compressor is lower than the pressure threshold, the second deceleration rate being lower than the first deceleration rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2023
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu HAMANOI, Masashi NAKAMURA, Naoki TOMI
  • Patent number: 11437636
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell a current sensor that detects a current of the fuel cell, a plurality of cell voltage sensors that detects a voltage in a unit of one or two or more cells of the fuel cell among the cells, a pump that adjusts a flow rate of the cooling medium, and a controller. The controller estimates, in a first case, a calorific value of the fuel cell using each detected cell voltage value and the detected current value, decides the flow rate of the cooling medium based on the estimated calorific value, and controls the operation of the pump such that the flow rate of the cooling medium is lower than that of a case where the estimated calorific value is the same in a normal operation of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuhei Nakamura, Tsuyoshi Maruo, Osamu Hamanoi, Hiroyuki Tsunekawa
  • Publication number: 20210376354
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell a current sensor that detects a current of the fuel cell, a plurality of cell voltage sensors that detects a voltage in a unit of one or two or more cells of the fuel cell among the cells, a pump that adjusts a flow rate of the cooling medium, and a controller. The controller estimates, in a first case, a calorific value of the fuel cell using each detected cell voltage value and the detected current value, decides the flow rate of the cooling medium based on the estimated calorific value, and controls the operation of the pump such that the flow rate of the cooling medium is lower than that of a case where the estimated calorific value is the same in a normal operation of the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Shuhei NAKAMURA, Tsuyoshi MARUO, Osamu HAMANOI, Hiroyuki TSUNEKAWA
  • Patent number: 10727512
    Abstract: A device for monitoring electricity generation comprising: an acquirer that acquires a total value of cell voltage from multiple cells including fuel cells; an increaser that increases the anode gas now rate to the multiple cells when the total value shows a possibility of negative voltage occurring in some of the multiple cells; and a judger that judges if negative voltage occurred in some of the multiple cells based on the total value following the increase of the anode gas flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Shiokawa, Tetsuya Bono, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Patent number: 10276883
    Abstract: A fuel cell system, comprising: a measurer that measures an impedance of the fuel cell; a controller that controls an operation state of the fuel cell; and an acquirer that acquires a dryness degree of the fuel cell from the measured impedance when the operation state is a first operation state, and acquires the dryness degree of the fuel cell as a wet state when the operation state is a second operation state in which a water balance is more than the first operation state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Shiokawa, Tetsuya Bono, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Patent number: 10181613
    Abstract: A fuel cell system comprising: an acquirer that acquires a total value of cell voltages of two or more cells included in a fuel cell; and a determiner that determines, when the total value is a first voltage value, abnormal power generation in which power generation by at least a part of the two or more cells is abnormal, that determines, when the total value is a second voltage value higher than the first voltage value, normal power generation in which power generation by the two or more cells is normal and that determines, when the total value is a third voltage value higher than the first voltage value but lower than the second voltage value, the normal power generation if a cathode gas is deficient or the abnormal power generation if the cathode gas is not deficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Bono, Satoshi Shiokawa, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Patent number: 10122030
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell including an electrolyte membrane, a sensor configured to measure a temperature of the fuel cell, and a controller. The controller is configured to cause the fuel cell to perform a wet operation to increase a water balance at a cathode of the fuel cell to a value higher than a water balance at the cathode during a normal operation of the fuel cell, when the temperature of the fuel cell measured by the sensor is maintained at a first threshold temperature or higher for a prescribed period of time or longer and then the temperature of the fuel cell decreases to below a second threshold temperature that is equal to or lower than the first threshold temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Shiokawa, Tetsuya Bono, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Patent number: 9991535
    Abstract: The fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell 40 that receives supply of reactant gas to generate power; output characteristic updating means for updating an output characteristic of the fuel cell 40 based on output current and output voltage measured by a current sensor 140 and a voltage sensor 150; maximum power calculation means for calculating, using the output characteristic, the maximum power available at the fuel cell 40; and determination means for determining whether a value of the output characteristic is in an assumed situation where the output characteristic value is assumed to be temporarily lowered, wherein while the output characteristic value is determined by the determination means to be in the assumed situation, the maximum power calculation means calculates the maximum power using the output characteristic updated by the output characteristic updating means just before transition to the assumed situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Bono, Satoshi Shiokawa, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Publication number: 20160190613
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell including an electrolyte membrane, a sensor configured to measure a temperature of the fuel cell, and a controller. The controller is configured to cause the fuel cell to perform a wet operation to increase a water balance at a cathode of the fuel cell to a value higher than a water balance at the cathode during a normal operation of the fuel cell, when the temperature of the fuel cell measured by the sensor is maintained at a first threshold temperature or higher for a prescribed period of time or longer and then the temperature of the fuel cell decreases to below a second threshold temperature that is equal to or lower than the first threshold temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi SHIOKAWA, Tetsuya BONO, Osamu HAMANOI
  • Publication number: 20160141674
    Abstract: An amount of power generation is increased in the case where a difference in water content between some and others of the cells is greater than a predetermined value. In the case of satisfaction of a first condition that the difference in water content between some and others of the cells is greater than the predetermined value, a fuel battery may be caused to perform an operation in which the amount of power generation exceeds that in the normal operation to reduce a cell voltage difference ?V between an average cell voltage Va and a minimum cell voltage Vb. The first condition is, for example, that the cell voltage difference ?V, which is a difference between the average cell voltage Va and the minimum cell voltage Vb, is greater than a first threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Shiokawa, Tetsuya Bono, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Publication number: 20160141688
    Abstract: A fuel cell system, comprising: a measurer that measures an impedance of the fuel cell; a controller that controls an operation state of the fuel cell; and an acquirer that acquires a dryness degree of the fuel cell from the measured impedance when the operation state is a first operation state, and acquires the dryness degree of the fuel cell as a wet state when the operation state is a second operation state in which a water balance is more than the first operation state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi SHIOKAWA, Tetsuya Bono, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Publication number: 20160133969
    Abstract: A fuel cell system comprising: an acquirer that acquires a total value of cell voltages of two or more cells included in a fuel cell; and a determiner that determines, when the total value is a first voltage value, abnormal power generation in which power generation by at least a part of the two or more cells is abnormal, that determines, when the total value is a second voltage value higher than the first voltage value, normal power generation in which power generation by the two or more cells is normal and that determines, when the total value is a third voltage value higher than the first voltage value but lower than the second voltage value, the normal power generation if a cathode gas is deficient or the abnormal power generation if the cathode gas is not deficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya BONO, Satoshi SHIOKAWA, Osamu HAMANOI
  • Publication number: 20160126574
    Abstract: The fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell 40 that receives supply of reactant gas to generate power; output characteristic updating means for updating an output characteristic of the fuel cell 40 based on output current and output voltage measured by a current sensor 140 and a voltage sensor 150; maximum power calculation means for calculating, using the output characteristic, the maximum power available at the fuel cell 40; and determination means for determining whether a value of the output characteristic is in an assumed situation where the output characteristic value is assumed to be temporarily lowered, wherein while the output characteristic value is determined by the determination means to be in the assumed situation, the maximum power calculation means calculates the maximum power using the output characteristic updated by the output characteristic updating means just before transition to the assumed situation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya BONO, Satoshi SHIOKAWA, Osamu HAMANOI
  • Publication number: 20160116539
    Abstract: A device for monitoring electricity generation comprising: an acquirer that acquires a total value of cell voltage from multiple cells including fuel cells; an increaser that increases the anode gas now rate to the multiple cells when the total value shows a possibility of negative voltage occurring in some of the multiple cells; and a judger that judges if negative voltage occurred in some of the multiple cells based on the total value following the increase of the anode gas flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi SHIOKAWA, Tetsuya Bono, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Patent number: 8603692
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack comprises a stack of three or more fuel cells, each having an assembly in which an anode electrode and a cathode electrode are respectively joined to either side of an electrolytic membrane. The anode electrode is provided nearer to one end, in the stack direction of the fuel cell, than the cathode electrode. Temperature regulating parts for regulating the temperature of the anode electrode of one fuel cell of any two adjacent fuel cells and the cathode electrode of the other fuel cell are disposed at a plurality of positions arranged in the stack direction. The provided temperature regulating parts perform temperature regulation so that the heat dissipating capability of the anode electrode is different in the stack direction from that of the cathode electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Koichiro Yamashita, Junichi Shirahama, Katsuya Matsuoka, Ikuyasu Kato, Kazuo Horibe, Osamu Hamanoi, Takuya Hashimoto, Hideki Kubo, Masahiro Shiozawa, Ryo Akagawa
  • Publication number: 20100173226
    Abstract: A fuel cell in which stress that is caused in an electrolyte membrane is relaxed or absorbed is provided. The fuel cell includes A fuel cell includes an electrolyte membrane; a holding member that is used to hold the electrolyte membrane; and an elastic member that is arranged between the electrolyte membrane and the holding member so that the holding member holds the electrolyte membrane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideyo Oomori, Masanori Yoshida, Tatsuo Kawabata, Osamu Hamanoi
  • Publication number: 20090325016
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack comprises a stack of three or more fuel cells, each having an assembly in which an anode electrode and a cathode electrode are respectively joined to either side of an electrolytic membrane. The anode electrode is provided nearer to one end, in the stack direction of the fuel cell, than the cathode electrode. Temperature regulating parts for regulating the temperature of the anode electrode of one fuel cell of any two adjacent fuel cells and the cathode electrode of the other fuel cell are disposed at a plurality of positions arranged in the stack direction. The provided temperature regulating parts perform temperature regulation so that the heat dissipating capability of the anode electrode is different in the stack direction from that of the cathode electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, NIPPON, INC.
    Inventors: Koichiro Yamashita, Junichi Shirahama, Katsuya Matsuoka, Ikuyasu Kato, Kazuo Horibe, Osamu Hamanoi, Takuya Hashimoto, Hideki Kubo, Masahiro Shiozawa, Ryo Akagawa