Patents by Inventor Shinji Ichikawa
Shinji Ichikawa 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: 10202045Abstract: A vehicle includes a power receiving portion that contactlessly receives electric power from a power transmitting portion provided outside the vehicle and includes a shield member that is arranged around the power receiving portion in the same plane as a plane in which the power receiving portion is arranged, wherein the shield member includes a first shield region having a high shielding function and a second shield region having a shielding function lower than that of the first shield region at a position around the power receiving portion.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2013Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shinji Ichikawa, Toru Nakamura, Masaya Ishida, Yoshiyuki Hattori, Toshiaki Watanabe, Takashi Kojima
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Publication number: 20190031033Abstract: A vehicle includes a coil (22) receiving electric power contactlessly from a power transmission unit (56) provided externally; and a bottom surface. The coil (22) is formed to surround a winding axis (O1) of the coil (22). When the winding axis (O1) and the bottom surface (76) are viewed from above the vehicle, the coil (22) is disposed such that the winding axis (O1) located to fall within the bottom surface (76) is shorter in length than the vehicle in a front-rear direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2018Publication date: January 31, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji ICHIKAWA
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Patent number: 10189364Abstract: A power source ECU transmits a first message for inquiring whether or not a vehicle is parked at a location provided with a power transmission device, after full-scale power transmission is completed. A vehicle ECU transmits a second message for informing that the vehicle is parked, when it receives the first message. When the power source ECU does not receive the second message for informing that the vehicle is parked after transmitting the first message, the power source ECU determines that the vehicle is not parked at the location provided with the power transmission device.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2014Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shinji Ichikawa, Satoshi Taniguchi, Shinpei Takita
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Patent number: 10173540Abstract: A contactless power transmission device includes: a plurality of power transmission coil units; a plurality of detection units configured to detect a foreign substance on and around each power transmission coil unit; a communication unit configured to communicate with a vehicle; and a control unit configured to select one of the plurality of power transmission coil units based on information about a mounting position of a power reception device from the vehicle obtained by the communication unit, and to guide, when a detection unit detects a foreign substance at the selected power transmission coil unit, the vehicle toward a power transmission coil unit different from the selected power transmission coil unit, before the vehicle stops. This can prevent a reduction in power transfer efficiency due to a foreign substance or the like in a power transmission device including a plurality of power transmission coils.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2014Date of Patent: January 8, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Satoshi Taniguchi, Shinji Ichikawa
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Patent number: 10141786Abstract: In a power receiving device, a module including a power receiving unit, a transformer, a filter circuit and a rectifier circuit includes a coil and a capacitor. An alternating-current power supply unit is configured to be able to supply alternating current to the power receiving device on a side closer to the power receiving unit than a relay. A vehicle electronic control unit is configured to, when alternating current is supplied from the alternating-current power supply unit in a case where the relay is turned off, detect whether there is an abnormality in at least one of the coil or the capacitor on the basis of a detected value of a current sensor.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2015Date of Patent: November 27, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Daisuke Kamikihara, Shinji Ichikawa
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Publication number: 20180304756Abstract: A charging station includes a plurality of electric power transmission portions and a power supply ECU. When a second vehicle is parked at a position where it can receive electric power from a first electric power transmission portion and when the second vehicle receives weak electric power from the first electric power transmission portion, the second vehicle transmits to the power supply ECU, an occupation signal which allows determination that the parking position corresponds to the first electric power transmission portion. When the power supply ECU receives the occupation signal of the first electric power transmission portion from the second vehicle, the power supply ECU stops transmission of weak electric power from the first electric power transmission portion and guides a first vehicle to a second electric power transmission portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2018Publication date: October 25, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shinji ICHIKAWA, Satoshi TANIGUCHI
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Publication number: 20180298650Abstract: A vehicle door handle device includes a handle base that is fixed to a door panel back surface of a vehicle, an operating handle that is linked to the handle base from a door front surface side to be rotatable around a rotation center, a stopper protrusion that is provided in any one of the operating handle and the handle base, and an engaged portion that is provided in the other one of the operating handle and the handle base.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2018Publication date: October 18, 2018Applicant: ALPHA CORPORATIONInventor: Shinji Ichikawa
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Publication number: 20180257493Abstract: An electric power reception device for a vehicle is equipped with an electric power reception unit that is configured to be able to receive electric power from an electric power transmission device in a non-contact manner, a communication portion that transmits information on a position or dimension of the electric power reception unit to the electric power transmission device, and a vehicle ECU that controls the communication portion. Preferably, the vehicle ECU transmits pre-stored information to the electric power transmission device with the aid of the communication portion, before allowing a vehicle to be parked at an electric power reception position of the electric power transmission device. The information includes at least one of a size of the electric power reception unit, a size of the vehicle in which the electric power reception unit is mounted, and a mounting position of the electric power reception unit in the vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2018Publication date: September 13, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji ICHIKAWA
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Publication number: 20180236938Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes an engine, a fuel tank, a motor, a battery, a charger, and a notification mechanism. The battery is configured to supply electric power to the motor. The charger is configured to carry out external charging that charges the battery by use of electric power from an external power source. The notification mechanism is configured to notify, to an outside of the vehicle, information on a use index indicative of a degree of use of external charging in a predetermined time period.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2018Publication date: August 23, 2018Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ryuta Ishida, Hiroaki Takeuchi, Hiroaki Arakawa, Shinji Ichikawa, Keita Hashimoto, Shigeki Kinomura, Akio Uotani, Kazuyuki Kagawa, Yusuke Kinoshita
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Patent number: 10052963Abstract: An electric power reception control unit of a vehicle generates an electric power transmission command for adjusting received electric power to an electric power reception command. The generated electric power transmission command is transmitted from the vehicle to a charging station via radio communication. An electric power transmission control unit of the charging station adjusts transmission electric power, which is transmitted from the charging station to the vehicle, to the electric power transmission command received from the vehicle. Responsiveness of electric power reception control carried out in the electric power reception control unit is lower than responsiveness of electric power transmission control carried out in the electric power transmission control unit.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2014Date of Patent: August 21, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji Ichikawa
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Patent number: 10030691Abstract: In a cable connection structure in which a roughly spherical cable end disposed at the tip of an inner wire is connected to a movable member, the movable member is provided with a pair of wing pieces that hold the inner wire, a cable insertion opening that guides the cable end to a space between the wing pieces, and a roughly elliptical cable end passage part that displaceably supports the cable end. The long axis of the roughly elliptical shape of the cable end passage part roughly coincides with the direction of insertion of the cable.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2012Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignees: ALPHA CORPORATION, NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Shuichi Kudoh, Shinji Ichikawa, Ryuichi Yoshida
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Patent number: 10023058Abstract: A charging station includes a plurality of electric power transmission portions and a power supply ECU. When a second vehicle is parked at a position where it can receive electric power from a first electric power transmission portion and when the second vehicle receives weak electric power from the first electric power transmission portion, the second vehicle transmits to the power supply ECU, an occupation signal which allows determination that the parking position corresponds to the first electric power transmission portion. When the power supply ECU receives the occupation signal of the first electric power transmission portion from the second vehicle, the power supply ECU stops transmission of weak electric power from the first electric power transmission portion and guides a first vehicle to a second electric power transmission portion.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2017Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shinji Ichikawa, Satoshi Taniguchi
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Publication number: 20180198173Abstract: An electric vehicle includes a battery that stores electric power for traveling, a sensor that detects the temperature of the battery, a communication circuitry configured to communicate with a server configured to collect information as to a plurality of vehicles, a temperature adjusting circuitry configured to adjust the temperature of the battery, and a control circuitry configured to control the temperature adjusting circuitry. The information as to the vehicles includes at least an ambient temperature in a surrounding area of each vehicle. The control circuitry selectively switches the mode of operation of the temperature adjusting circuitry by using the temperature of the battery and the ambient temperature collected in the server.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2017Publication date: July 12, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji ICHIKAWA
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Publication number: 20180178668Abstract: A charging control apparatus for a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a motor generator and an electric power storage device. The charging control apparatus includes: a communication device configured to receive data from a server; and a controller that executes external charging. The controller is configured to execute the external charging in accordance with a target value of State of Charge of the electric power storage device. The controller is configured to lower the target value from a first target value to a second target value in the case where the controller predicts that the State Of Charge exceeds the target value by a specified amount or larger in a section in accordance with record data that is aggregated in the server when the vehicle starts traveling after completion of the external charging.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2017Publication date: June 28, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji ICHIKAWA
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Publication number: 20180178672Abstract: An electrically-driven vehicle includes: a rotary electric machine; an electric power storage device; a communication device communicable with a server on the outside of the electrically-driven vehicle; and an electronic control unit configured to control external charging in which the electric power storage device is charged by using electric power that is supplied from a power feeding device on the outside of the electrically-driven vehicle. The electronic control unit acquires information from the server, the information indicating a degree of tightness of electricity supply-demand balance at a destination of the electrically-driven vehicle, and then prohibits execution of external charging promotion control for urging a user to perform the external charging at the destination in the case where the acquired information indicates that the degree of the tightness is higher than a reference level.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2017Publication date: June 28, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji ICHIKAWA
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Publication number: 20180170194Abstract: A control device for a hybrid vehicle is provided with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The control device includes an acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a controller. The acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of vehicle information regarding the vehicle configured to be externally charged. The vehicle information includes information related to a destination of the vehicle. The determination unit determines whether or not the hybrid vehicle is externally charged at the destination based on at least one piece of vehicle information regarding a same-destination vehicle including at least one of a vehicle having the same destination as the hybrid vehicle and a vehicle that has arrived at the destination of the hybrid vehicle. The controller controls the hybrid vehicle in accordance with a result of the determination by the determination unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2017Publication date: June 21, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji ICHIKAWA
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Publication number: 20180164121Abstract: A connected vehicle is able to communicate with a server. The server is configured to collect result data indicating traveling results of a plurality of vehicles. The connected vehicle includes a communication device configured to receive data from the server and a control device configured to calculate a travelable range of the connected vehicle. The control device is configured to calculate the travelable range based on data in which the travelable range is shorter among first data and second data. The first data is calculated based on traveling results of the connected vehicle and is correlated with the travelable range. The second data is calculated based on the result data collected in the server and is correlated with the travelable range.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2017Publication date: June 14, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji ICHIKAWA
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Publication number: 20180154885Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes an electronic control unit configured to switch a use mode between a first use mode in which an owner of the hybrid vehicle is a user and a second use mode in which any of persons other than the owner is the user. The hybrid vehicle includes an engine, a first MG, an electric power storage device electrically connected to the first MG, and the electronic control unit. When the use mode is the second use mode and the hybrid vehicle reaches a location near a destination, the electronic control unit executes recovery processing of recovering a SOC of the electric power storage device in a manner to bring the SOC closer to an initial value at time when the user starts using the hybrid vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2017Publication date: June 7, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji ICHIKAWA
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Patent number: 9981566Abstract: An electric vehicle receives electric power, in a non-contact manner, from an electric power transmitting coil provided externally to the vehicle. The electric vehicle includes an electric power receiving unit that is disposed at a bottom of the vehicle and receives electric power from the electric power transmitting unit via electromagnetic field resonance; a camera that captures an image of the outside; and a display unit that displays an outside view from the vehicle that is captured by the camera. The electric power receiving unit is disposed at a position that is offset toward a peripheral face, on which the camera is disposed, with respect to the center of the bottom in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2015Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shinji Ichikawa
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Patent number: 9981603Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes an engine, a fuel tank, a motor, a battery, a charger, and a notification mechanism. The battery is configured to supply electric power to the motor. The charger is configured to carry out external charging that charges the battery by use of electric power from an external power source. The notification mechanism is configured to notify, to an outside of the vehicle, information on a use index indicative of a degree of use of external charging in a predetermined time period.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2017Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ryuta Ishida, Hiroaki Takeuchi, Hiroaki Arakawa, Shinji Ichikawa, Keita Hashimoto, Shigeki Kinomura, Akio Uotani, Kazuyuki Kagawa, Yusuke Kinoshita