Patents by Inventor Seiji Funaba
Seiji Funaba 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: 11011443Abstract: At the time of clamping, excessive stress is applied to bonding parts between substrates and input/output terminals, which may cause the bonding parts to be detached and cause the substrates to be cracked. A lower electrode of a power semiconductor element 11 is connected via a bonding material 13 to a first interconnection layer 12 arranged on a lower surface of the power semiconductor element 11, and an upper electrode 14 of the power semiconductor element 11 is connected via the bonding material 13 to a second interconnection layer 15 arranged on an upper surface. Also, a second main terminal 16 electrically connected to the upper electrode 14 of the power semiconductor element 11 is connected via the bonding material 13 to the second interconnection layer 15 and contacts and is positioned on a third interconnection layer 24 (spacer) arranged to be parallel to the first interconnection layer 12 on the lower surface.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2016Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Tokihito Suwa, Seiji Funaba
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Publication number: 20190006255Abstract: At the time of clamping, excessive stress is applied to bonding parts between substrates and input/output terminals, which may cause the bonding parts to be detached and cause the substrates to be cracked. A lower electrode of a power semiconductor element 11 is connected via a bonding material 13 to a first interconnection layer 12 arranged on a lower surface of the power semiconductor element 11, and an upper electrode 14 of the power semiconductor element 11 is connected via the bonding material 13 to a second interconnection layer 15 arranged on an upper surface. Also, a second main terminal 16 electrically connected to the upper electrode 14 of the power semiconductor element 11 is connected via the bonding material 13 to the second interconnection layer 15 and contacts and is positioned on a third interconnection layer 24 (spacer) arranged to be parallel to the first interconnection layer 12 on the lower surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2016Publication date: January 3, 2019Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Tokihito SUWA, Seiji FUNABA
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Patent number: 9960710Abstract: In an automotive vehicle inverter control apparatus of the related art, a limp-home mode is provided, but six power sources including transformers are required for respective gate circuits of the respective IGBT drive circuits. Therefore, a reduction in size and a reduction in weight cannot be achieved, and a demand of the improvement of mountability or the improvement of fuel consumption as described above cannot be satisfied. A power semiconductor module and the drive circuit include three unit semiconductor modules and three unit drive circuits corresponding to a three-phase alternating current, and power supply units of the unit drive circuits are provided independently, whereby the limp-home mode is provided and in addition, the number of power supply units may be reduced, so that the reduction in size and the reduction in weight are achieved.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2012Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Masashige Tsuji, Yasuo Noto, Seiji Funaba
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Patent number: 9209737Abstract: A power converter includes an inverter, a contactor for connecting a battery to the inverter in order to supply DC power from the battery to the inverter and for disconnecting the battery from the inverter in order to stop an operation to supply the DC power from the battery to the inverter, a smoothing capacitor connected in parallel to the battery through the contactor, a discharge circuit that is provided with a discharge resistor and a switching device connected in series to the discharge resistor and is connected in parallel to the smoothing capacitor to discharge electric charge from the smoothing capacitor, a voltage measurement circuit, a voltage-dividing circuit for dividing the voltage across the terminals of the smoothing capacitor to generate a partial voltage to be input to the voltage measurement circuit and a control circuit of the switching device.Type: GrantFiled: July 4, 2012Date of Patent: December 8, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Masashige Tsuji
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Patent number: 8970155Abstract: An electric power converter is provided with a plurality of power-conversion elements; a first control circuit that outputs a first control signal; an electricity storage circuit; a second control circuit that outputs a second control signal when the direct-current power source that supplies electrical power to the first control circuit is not normal; and a drive circuit that outputs drive signals for driving the plurality of power-conversion elements. Each of the power-conversion elements is either a power-conversion element of the upper arm connected to the high-voltage side or a conversion element of the lower arm connected to the low-voltage side. In cases when the voltage of the electricity storage circuit is at a higher predetermined first voltage value, the second control circuit outputs a second control signal so that all the power-conversion elements of the upper arm or the lower arm are turned on and the others are turned off.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2012Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Masashige Tsuji, Keiji Kunii, Koichi Yahata, Shinichiro Hida
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Patent number: 8971079Abstract: An inverter device includes an inverter circuit, a control circuit, a first drive circuit, a second drive circuit, first and second photocouplers, and a signal switching part. The signal switching part directly transmits the first and second signals outputted from the first photocoupler and the second photocoupler to the corresponding first and second drive circuits respectively when at least one of the first and second signals is an OFF command.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2011Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Tetsuro Tateyama, Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Koichi Yahata, Hiroki Shimano
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Publication number: 20140232181Abstract: In an automotive vehicle inverter control apparatus of the related art, a limp-home mode is provided, but six power sources including transformers are required for respective gate circuits of the respective IGBT drive circuits. Therefore, a reduction in size and a reduction in weight cannot be achieved, and a demand of the improvement of mountability or the improvement of fuel consumption as described above cannot be satisfied. A power semiconductor module and the drive circuit include three unit semiconductor modules and three unit drive circuits corresponding to a three-phase alternating current, and power supply units of the unit drive circuits are provided independently, whereby the limp-home mode is provided and in addition, the number of power supply units may be reduced, so that the reduction in size and the reduction in weight are achieved.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2012Publication date: August 21, 2014Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTDInventors: Masashige Tsuji, Yasuo Noto, Seiji Funaba
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Patent number: 8791681Abstract: A power conversion system according to the present invention includes: an inverter circuit unit that converts a direct current power supplied from a direct current source into an alternating current power, the direct current power being supplied to the inverter circuit through a contactor that conducts and interrupts the direct current; a capacitor that smoothes the direct current power; a discharge circuit unit that is connected to the capacitor in parallel, and that includes a discharge resistor for discharging a charge stored in the capacitor and a switching element for the discharge resistor, being connected in series to the discharge resistor; a voltage detection circuit unit that detects voltage between both terminals of the capacitor; a first discharge control circuit that includes a first microcomputer, and that outputs a control signal to control switching of the switching element for discharging; and a second discharge control circuit that outputs an interruption signal to interrupt the switching elType: GrantFiled: February 19, 2010Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Yoshio Akaishi, Yasuo Noto, Koichi Yahata, Seiji Funaba, Masashige Tsuji
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Publication number: 20140191693Abstract: A power converter includes an inverter, a contactor for connecting a battery to the inverter in order to supply DC power from the battery to the inverter and for disconnecting the battery from the inverter in order to stop an operation to supply the DC power from the battery to the inverter, a smoothing capacitor connected in parallel to the battery through the contactor, a discharge circuit that is provided with a discharge resistor and a switching device connected in series to the discharge resistor and is connected in parallel to the smoothing capacitor to discharge electric charge from the smoothing capacitor, a voltage measurement circuit, a voltage-dividing circuit for dividing the voltage across the terminals of the smoothing capacitor to generate a partial voltage to be input to the voltage measurement circuit and a control circuit of the switching device.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 4, 2012Publication date: July 10, 2014Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Masashige Tsuji
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Patent number: 8686694Abstract: A discharge circuit for a DC power supply smoothing capacitor that is used in a power conversion device that supplies DC power via a switch to the DC power supply smoothing capacitor and an inverter, includes; a resistor that discharges charge in the capacitor; a switch connected in series with the resistor, that either passes or intercepts discharge current flowing from the capacitor to the resistor; a measurement circuit that measures a terminal voltage of the capacitor; and a control circuit that controls continuity and discontinuity of the switch; wherein the control circuit, after having made the switch continuous and starting discharge of the capacitor by the resistor, if a terminal voltage of the capacitor as measured by the measurement circuit exceeds a voltage decrease characteristic set in advance, makes the switch discontinuous and stops discharge by the resistor.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2013Date of Patent: April 1, 2014Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Masashige Tsuji
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Publication number: 20130328514Abstract: An electric power converter is provided with a plurality of power-conversion elements; a first control circuit that outputs a first control signal; an electricity storage circuit; a second control circuit that outputs a second control signal when the direct-current power source that supplies electrical power to the first control circuit is not normal; and a drive circuit that outputs drive signals for driving the plurality of power-conversion elements. Each of the power-conversion elements is either a power-conversion element of the upper arm connected to the high-voltage side or a conversion element of the lower arm connected to the low-voltage side. In cases when the voltage of the electricity storage circuit is at a higher predetermined first voltage value, the second control circuit outputs a second control signal so that all the power-conversion elements of the upper arm or the lower arm are turned on and the others are turned off.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2012Publication date: December 12, 2013Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Masashige Tsuji, Keiji Kunii, Koichi Yahata, Shinichiro Hida
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Patent number: 8456866Abstract: A power conversion device includes an inverter circuit converting DC power into AC power and including switching devices constituting upper and lower arms, a control circuit controlling the switching devices, a drive circuit driving the switching devices by a signal from the control circuit, and an insulated power supply circuit supplying power to the drive circuit. The control circuit controls a power supply voltage to be outputted from the power supply circuit to the drive circuit. The drive circuit drives the switching devices and based on a carrier frequency and the power supply voltage. The power supply circuit includes a feedback output circuit through which the voltage outputted to the drive circuit is outputted to a power supply control IC. The feedback output circuit includes a dummy load circuit which controls the voltage to be outputted to the power supply control IC based on a change of the carrier frequency.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2011Date of Patent: June 4, 2013Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Masashige Tsuji
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Patent number: 8436590Abstract: A discharge circuit for a DC power supply smoothing capacitor that is used in a power conversion device that supplies DC power via a switch to the DC power supply smoothing capacitor and an inverter, includes; a resistor that discharges charge in the capacitor; a switch connected in series with the resistor, that either passes or intercepts discharge current flowing from the capacitor to the resistor; a measurement circuit that measures a terminal voltage of the capacitor; and a control circuit that controls continuity and discontinuity of the switch; wherein the control circuit, after having made the switch continuous and starting discharge of the capacitor by the resistor, if a terminal voltage of the capacitor as measured by the measurement circuit exceeds a voltage decrease characteristic set in advance, makes the switch discontinuous and stops discharge by the resistor.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2010Date of Patent: May 7, 2013Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Masashige Tsuji
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Publication number: 20130088279Abstract: The present invention provides a power converter including a power semiconductor device, a driver circuit section that outputs a driving signal for driving the power semiconductor device, a buffer circuit section that includes a PNP transistor and an NPN transistor and that outputs a gate voltage for driving the power semiconductor device, a first delay circuit section that receives the driving signal and that generates a first delay signal on the basis of the received driving signal, a first MOSFET that has a drain electrode connected with the output of the buffer circuit section and that is driven on the basis of the first delay signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2011Publication date: April 11, 2013Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS LTDInventors: Hiroki Shimano, Yasuo Noto, Koichi Yahata, Seiji Funaba, Yoshio Akaishi
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Publication number: 20130051099Abstract: An inverter device includes: an inverter circuit which includes an upper-arm-use first switching element (328U to 328W) and a lower-arm-use second switching element (330U to 330W); a control circuit (319) which outputs a first signal which is an ON/OFF command for the first switching element and a second signal which is an ON/OFF command for the second switching element respectively; a first drive circuit (610U to 610W) which performs ON/OFF driving of the first semiconductor switching element based on the ON/OFF command which is the first signal; a second drive circuit (611U to 611W) which performs ON/OFF driving of the second semiconductor switching element based on the ON/OFF command which is the second signal; and a signal switching part (616U to 616W) which directly inputs the first and second signals outputted from the control circuit to the corresponding first and second drive circuits respectively when at least one of the first and second signals is an OFF command, and interrupts inputting of the firsType: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2011Publication date: February 28, 2013Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Tetsuro Tateyama, Seiji Funaba, Yasuo Noto, Koichi Yahata, Hiroki Shimano
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Publication number: 20130033914Abstract: A power conversion device (140) includes an inverter circuit (12) that includes a bridge-connected power semiconductor element and is connected to a DC power supply through an openable and closable contactor (15), a driver circuit (21) to drive the power semiconductor element, a driver circuit control part (18) that performs PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control on the driver circuit and causes the power semiconductor element to perform a switching operation, a voltage smoothing capacitor (500) connected in parallel to an input side of the inverter circuit, a driver power supply circuit (27) that is connected in parallel to the voltage smoothing capacitor, is inputted with a voltage applied to the voltage smoothing capacitor and supplies electric power to the driver circuit, a discharge circuit that includes a resistor (25) for discharging an electric charge of the voltage smoothing capacitor and a discharging switching element (26) connected in series to the resistor, and is connected in parallel to the voltaType: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2011Publication date: February 7, 2013Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Koichi Yahata, Seiji Funaba, Masashige Tsuji
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Publication number: 20120051099Abstract: A power conversion device includes an inverter circuit converting DC power into AC power and including switching devices constituting upper and lower arms, a control circuit controlling the switching devices, a drive circuit driving the switching devices by a signal from the control circuit, and an insulated power supply circuit supplying power to the drive circuit. The control circuit controls a power supply voltage to be outputted from the power supply circuit to the drive circuit. The drive circuit drives the switching devices and based on a carrier frequency and the power supply voltage. The power supply circuit includes a feedback output circuit through which the voltage outputted to the drive circuit is outputted to a power supply control IC. The feedback output circuit includes a dummy load circuit which controls the voltage to be outputted to the power supply control IC based on a change of the carrier frequency.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2011Publication date: March 1, 2012Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Seiji FUNABA, Yasuo Noto, Masashige Tsuji
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Publication number: 20120020136Abstract: A power conversion system according to the present invention includes: an inverter circuit unit that converts a direct current power supplied from a direct current source into an alternating current power, the direct current power being supplied to the inverter circuit through a contactor that conducts and interrupts the direct current; a capacitor that smoothes the direct current power; a discharge circuit unit that is connected to the capacitor in parallel, and that includes a discharge resistor for discharging a charge stored in the capacitor and a switching element for the discharge resistor, being connected in series to the discharge resistor; a voltage detection circuit unit that detects voltage between both terminals of the capacitor; a first discharge control circuit that includes a first microcomputer, and that outputs a control signal to control switching of the switching element for discharging; and a second discharge control circuit that outputs an interruption signal to interrupt the switching elType: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2010Publication date: January 26, 2012Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems. Ltd.Inventors: Yoshio Akaishi, Yasuo Noto, Koichi Yahata, Seiji Funaba, Masashge Tsuji
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Patent number: 8064222Abstract: A COC DRAM including a plurality of stacked DRAM chips is mounted on a motherboard by using an interposer. The interposer includes a Si unit and a PCB. The Si unit includes a Si substrate and an insulating-layer unit in which wiring is installed. The PCB includes a reference plane for the wiring in the Si unit. The wiring topology between a chip set and the COC DRAM is the same for every signal. Accordingly, a memory system enabling a high-speed operation, low power consumption, and large capacity is provided.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2008Date of Patent: November 22, 2011Assignee: Elpida Memory, Inc.Inventors: Yoji Nishio, Seiji Funaba
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Patent number: 7889584Abstract: A semiconductor memory device of the present invention determines a logic level of a signal based on a predetermined reference voltage. And the memory device has an input terminal to which a reference signal having the reference voltage is input, a low-pass filter connected to the input terminal for passing a component of the reference voltage of the reference signal and eliminating undesired high frequency components, and one or more input first-stage circuits to each of which an output of the low-pass filter and a signal having the logic level to be determined are connected. In the memory device, the low-pass filter has predetermined attenuation at least at a frequency of an operating clock.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2006Date of Patent: February 15, 2011Assignee: Elpida Memory Inc.Inventors: Yoji Idei, Susumu Hatano, Yoji Nishio, Seiji Funaba, Yutaka Uematsu