Patents by Inventor Shinichiro Kosugi

Shinichiro Kosugi 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: 20170182907
    Abstract: A power control apparatus according to an embodiment includes acquisition circuitry and determination circuitry. The acquisition circuitry is configured to acquire a voltage of a secondary battery during charging. The determination circuitry is configured to determine a maximum current to be used during charging of the secondary battery using a difference between an upper limit voltage and the acquired voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Sonoka IKEDA, Shinichiro KOSUGI, Masahiro SEKINO, Kazuto KURODA, Osamu YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20170187016
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a battery module includes a plurality of batteries and a module housing. The module housing accommodates the plurality of batteries. The module housing is configured by connecting a plurality of cases in a first direction. At least one of the plurality of cases includes a vacuum pad adsorption region which is on an end surface in a second direction intersecting the first direction and on which a vacuum pad is adsorbable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Makoto Nagasato, Tatsumi Matsuo, Norio Shimizu, Masafumi Ebisawa, Shinichiro Kosugi, Masahiro Sekino
  • Publication number: 20170139014
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an energy storage battery includes: a plurality of cells; an acquirer to acquire measured values of state amounts of the cells; a first parameter calculator to calculate first parameters for evaluating the cells, based on the measured values; and a communicator to transmit the first parameters to a monitoring controller via a communication network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Inventors: Takahiro YAMAMOTO, Masatake SAKUMA, Takenori KOBAYASHI, Shinichiro KOSUGI, Mami MIZUTANI, Yasuji SAKATA, Toshiro SHIMADA
  • Publication number: 20170069888
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a battery pack includes a first housing, first plurality of battery modules, second plurality of battery modules and elastic members. The first housing includes a first outer wall and a second outer wall different from the first outer wall. The first plurality of battery modules are fixed to the first outer wall. Each includes a second housing and a plurality of battery cells accommodated in the second housing. The second plurality of battery modules are fixed to the second outer wall. Each includes a second housing and a plurality of battery cells accommodated in the second housing. The elastic members are for pressing the first plurality of battery modules onto the first outer wall and pressing the second plurality of battery modules onto the second outer wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Toshinori UCHIDA, Masahiro SEKINO, Shinichiro KOSUGI, Kazuto KURODA, Hideo SHIMIZU
  • Publication number: 20170031404
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a storage-battery evaluation device includes: a data generator and a deterioration evaluator. The data generator generates a plurality of data items including charge amounts and voltage values of an energy storage device based on current values and the voltage values measured from the energy storage device, the energy storage device being subjected to charge/discharge control in accordance with charge/discharge command values. The deterioration evaluator evaluates a deterioration state of the energy storage device based on a distribution of the voltage values included in the data items the charge amounts of which belong to a first charge-amount range when it is detected that a distribution of first charge/discharge command values satisfies a predetermined condition, the first charge/discharge command values being the charge/discharge command values at which the data items the charge amounts of which belong to the first charge-amount range is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takahiro YAMAMOTO, Shinichiro Kosugi, Ryosuke Takeuchi, Masatake Sakuma, Takahisa Wada, Toru Ezawa, Takenori Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20160377686
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a degradation estimation method includes detecting a stop interval of a battery control apparatus having a function to calculate a state of charge of a battery, acquiring degradation information corresponding to a calculated state of charge calculated from the battery and a detection temperature detected from the battery or degradation information corresponding to the calculated state of charge and an ambient temperature based on a first degradation information database showing degradation of the battery in accordance with a set state of charge and a set temperature, and estimating the degradation of the battery in the stop interval based on the degradation information acquired.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Katsuya UCHIDA, Shinichiro Kosugi, Makoto Sato, Makoto Matsuoka, Hiroyuki Tsukahara
  • Patent number: 9472941
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, battery module includes a main circuit, a resistive element, a current-amount detection circuit, and a breaker. A charge and discharge current of a battery flows through the main circuit via a positive connecting terminal and a negative connecting terminal. The resistive element is provided in a current path branched from the main circuit, and able to form a closed circuit with an external control device via one of the positive connecting terminal and the negative connecting terminal while an insulating state between the main circuit and the external control device is maintained. The current-amount detection circuit detects an amount of current flowing through the resistive element, and outputs a current-amount detection signal. The breaker circuit interrupts the current flowing through the main circuit when the amount of current flowing through the resistive element is smaller than a predetermined threshold current based on the current-amount detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuto Kuroda, Shinichiro Kosugi, Minoru Gyoda, Fuyuki Kanbe
  • Publication number: 20160276846
    Abstract: A storage battery management device manages a plurality of battery units in a storage battery system including the battery units having a plurality of battery cells and a power adjustment device connected to the battery units via respective contactors and connected to a main circuit. The storage battery management device includes a minimum value determination unit and a controller. The minimum value determination unit, from the battery units in which a difference between a maximum cell voltage and a minimum cell voltage of the battery cells forming each of the battery units is equal to or less than a certain value, determines a minimum value of the minimum cell voltage. The controller controls a cell balance process of the battery unit managed by itself, by using the minimum value of the minimum cell voltage determined by the minimum value determination unit as a cell balance target voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Kazuto KURODA, Shinichiro KOSUGI, Masahiro SEKINO, Jun TAKAHASHI, Ryo OKABE, Yusuke KIKUCHI
  • Publication number: 20160226288
    Abstract: An overcharge protection device according to an embodiment includes a switching unit and a controller. The switching unit includes a plurality of switching elements connected in series. The plurality of switching elements is connected in parallel to a fuse and a rechargeable battery. The fuse is interposed between and connected to the rechargeable battery and a charger configured to charge the rechargeable battery. The controller detects output voltage of the rechargeable battery, and, if the detected output voltage exceeds a certain overcharge detection voltage, short-circuits a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal of the rechargeable battery by turning on the switching elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuto Kuroda, Shinichiro Kosugi, Masahiro Sekino, Shigeru Nozawa, Minoru Gyoda, Yosuke Saeki, Fuyuki Kanbe
  • Publication number: 20160211494
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a railroad storage battery device includes a first and second resin assembled battery boxes, a battery management unit, and a metal box mountable on a railroad vehicle via an insulating member. The first resin assembled battery box possesses a certain insulating property and accommodates a first battery cell group and a first cell monitoring device monitoring charge and discharge of battery cells. The second resin assembled battery box possesses a certain insulating property and accommodates a second battery cell group connected in series with the first battery cell group and a second cell monitoring device monitoring charge and discharge of the battery cells. The battery management unit controls the first and second cell monitoring devices. The metal box accommodates the first and second assembled battery boxes and the battery management unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masahiro Kurosu, Shinichiro Kosugi, Masahiro Sekino, Kazuto Kuroda, Hideaki Yasui, Mai Honda, Masaki Sato, Tatsuya Arai, Akinobu Nishikawa, Kotaro Ogawa, Tomonao Takamatsu, Mitsunobu Yoshida, Takafumi Nakahama, Akihiko Ujiie, Atsumi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20160195590
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a battery apparatus including a battery management device configured to receive voltages and temperatures of cells, and detection data of a current sensor, and a measuring computer configured to calculate a characteristic value of each cell or cell module, based on the detection data acquired from the battery management device at first time intervals, and to send, the acquired detection data or the calculated characteristic value to a control device at second time intervals which are longer than the first time intervals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Publication date: July 7, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Shinichiro KOSUGI, Masahiro SEKINO, Masayuki HOSHINO, Hiroaki SAKURAI, Tomokazu MORITA, Takenori KOBAYASHI, Tomohiro TOYOSAKI, Masatake SAKUMA, Takahiro YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20160181836
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a storage battery device includes a battery group, a charge-and-discharge control FET unit, and a drive controller. The battery group includes a plurality of battery cells connected in series. The charge-and-discharge control FET unit is connected to a low potential side of the battery group and includes at least a pair of N-channel MOSFETs source terminals of which are back-to-back connected. The drive controller outputs a drive control signal to a gate terminal of the respective N-channel MOSFETs included in the charge-and-discharge control FET unit. The drive control signal is generated based on a potential level of the source terminals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Fuyuki Kanabe, Kazuto Kuroda, Shinichiro Kosugi, Masahiro Sekino, Minoru Gyoda, Yosuke Saeki
  • Patent number: 9356469
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a storage battery device includes a battery unit, a charging unit, a terminal, and a first circuit breaking unit. The battery unit includes a lithium ion battery and is connectable in parallel to other storage battery device that charges an external lithium ion battery. The charging unit is supplied with electric power from an external electric power source and charges the battery unit. The terminal is connectable to a wire connecting the other storage battery device with the battery unit. The first circuit breaking unit is connected between the battery unit and the terminal, and blocks an electric current flowing from the terminal to the battery unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuto Kuroda, Shinichiro Kosugi, Ryo Okabe, Manabu Murakami
  • Patent number: 9239363
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed that includes a resistance measuring unit operable to determine a solution resistance Rsol and a charge transfer resistance Rct of a battery; and at least one computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising code, that, when executed by at least one processor, is operable to provide an estimate of the present value of the battery by: comparing Rsol and Rct to historical deterioration transition information; estimating the number of remaining charge cycles before a discharge capacity lower limit is reached by the battery using the comparison; and estimating the number of remaining charge cycles before a discharge time lower limit is reached by the battery using the comparison. The estimate of the present value of the battery includes the smaller of the number of remaining charge cycles before a discharge capacity lower limit is reached or the number of remaining charge cycles before a discharge time lower limit is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Toshiba Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Matsui, Kazuto Kuroda, Yasuhiro Harada, Shinichiro Kosugi, Hisashi Oya, Mami Mizutani, Takashi Morimoto, Takeo Hayase, Yukitaka Monden, Norio Takami
  • Patent number: 9236753
    Abstract: A power source device includes an assembled battery having a plurality of secondary battery cells connected in series, and a plurality of discharge circuits connected in parallel with the secondary battery cells, respectively. A charge control circuit performs constant current charging to the assembled battery, and when voltages of one or a plurality of the secondary battery cells out of the plurality of secondary battery cells have reached a prescribed first voltage, drives the discharge circuits connected to the secondary battery cells whose voltage have reached the first voltage to discharge, and performs constant voltage charging to the relevant assemble battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masahiro Sekino, Takashi Sudo, Shinichiro Kosugi
  • Patent number: 9207286
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed that includes a resistance measuring unit operable to determine a solution resistance Rsol and a charge transfer resistance Rct of a battery; and at least one computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising code, that, when executed by at least one processor, is operable to provide an estimate of the present value of the battery by: comparing Rsol and Rct to historical deterioration transition information; estimating the number of remaining charge cycles before a discharge capacity lower limit is reached by the battery using the comparison; and estimating the number of remaining charge cycles before a discharge time lower limit is reached by the battery using the comparison. The estimate of the present value of the battery includes the smaller of the number of remaining charge cycles before a discharge capacity lower limit is reached or the number of remaining charge cycles before a discharge time lower limit is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Akihiro Matsui, Kazuto Kuroda, Yasuhiro Harada, Shinichiro Kosugi, Hisashi Oya, Mami Mizutani, Takashi Morimoto, Takeo Hayase, Yukitaka Monden, Norio Takami
  • Publication number: 20150263395
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a battery pack device includes a plurality of battery modules, a cell detector, and a determiner. Each of the plurality of battery modules stores a plurality of cells. The cell detector detects a cell detection signal representing whether a cell is present or absent at each of a plurality of positions in each battery module. The determiner determines the arrangement state of the cells in each battery module based on the cell detection signal detected by the cell detector, determines the presence/absence of an abnormality from the determined arrangement state of the cells and the connection state of each battery module, and outputs an abnormal signal in case of the abnormality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Inventors: Ryo Okabe, Shinichiro Kosugi, Kazuto Kuroda, Manabu Murakami
  • Publication number: 20150188203
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a secondary battery apparatus includes an outer case including an airtight battery storing chamber formed inside, a coolant inlet for supplying an insulative liquid coolant to the battery storing chamber, and a coolant outlet for discharging the liquid coolant from the battery storing chamber; and a battery cell including an electrode terminal, the battery cell being disposed in the battery storing chamber of the outer case and immersed in the liquid coolant filled in the battery storing chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Inventors: Takashi Enomoto, Masahiro Sekino, Hidenori Miyamoto, Shinichiro Kosugi
  • Publication number: 20140265639
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, battery module includes a main circuit, a resistive element, a current-amount detection circuit, and a breaker. A charge and discharge current of a battery flows through the main circuit via a positive connecting terminal and a negative connecting terminal. The resistive element is provided in a current path branched from the main circuit, and able to form a closed circuit with an external control device via one of the positive connecting terminal and the negative connecting terminal while an insulating state between the main circuit and the external control device is maintained. The current-amount detection circuit detects an amount of current flowing through the resistive element, and outputs a current-amount detection signal. The breaker circuit interrupts the current flowing through the main circuit when the amount of current flowing through the resistive element is smaller than a predetermined threshold current based on the current-amount detection signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuto Kuroda, Shinichiro Kosugi, Minoru Gyoda, Fuyuki Kanbe
  • Publication number: 20140203765
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a storage battery device includes a battery unit, a charging unit, a terminal, and a first circuit breaking unit. The battery unit includes a lithium ion battery and is connectable in parallel to other storage battery device that charges an external lithium ion battery. The charging unit is supplied with electric power from an external electric power source and charges the battery unit. The terminal is connectable to a wire connecting the other storage battery device with the battery unit. The first circuit breaking unit is connected between the battery unit and the terminal, and blocks an electric current flowing from the terminal to the battery unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuto Kuroda, Shinichiro Kosugi, Ryo Okabe, Manabu Murakami