Patents by Inventor Akihiko Kudo

Akihiko Kudo 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: 20160226276
    Abstract: Even with a large ripple voltage superposed on a voltage of a battery cell, the voltage of the battery cell can be measured accurately. In a battery monitoring device, a supply circuit, based on a reference voltage inputted from an assembled battery, generates a driving voltage for driving each of switching elements, of a selection circuit and supplies the driving voltage to the selection circuit. The reference voltage is inputted from the assembled battery to the supply circuit via a detecting filter circuit. As a result, a time constant of a route through which the reference voltage is inputted from the assembled battery to the supply circuit is approximately equal to time constants of detecting filter circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi IWASAWA, Akihiko KUDO, Mitsuo NODA, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Tomonori KANAI
  • Patent number: 9404975
    Abstract: A battery monitoring system, comprises a battery state detection circuit that detects battery states of a plurality of battery cells that are connected in series, based on respective cell voltages of the plurality of battery cells, and a control circuit that monitors state of a battery cell, based on each cell voltage of the plurality of battery cells. The control circuit inputs pseudo voltage information to the battery state detection circuit, and thereby diagnoses whether or not the battery state detection circuit is operating normally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Gosuke Shibahara, Akihiko Emori, Yasuo Uemura, Tatsumi Yamauchi, Kenji Kubo, Masahito Sonehara, Masahiko Amano, Yoshinori Aoshima
  • Patent number: 9356451
    Abstract: A battery control circuit includes a voltage detection circuit for measuring voltages of electric cells, balancing circuits for balancing the voltages or SOCs of the electric cells, a signal input/output circuit for communicating with the outside, a power supply circuit having two modes: a normal mode and a low consumption mode, and a time management circuit. It receives a signal containing a period of time until the shift of the power supply circuit from the normal mode to the low consumption mode, and stores it in the time management circuit. If a command from the outside has not been sent for a predetermined period of time or when an operation stop command has been sent from the outside, the time management circuit causes the power supply circuit to continuously operate in the normal mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Youhei Kawahara, Ryouhei Nakao, Akihiko Kudo, Akihiko Emori, Kei Sakabe
  • Patent number: 9356453
    Abstract: A battery monitoring and control integrated circuit is connected to a cell group having a plurality of series-connected single cells for monitoring and controlling the single cells, and includes: a first start input terminal for connecting to a DC signal generation circuit which generates a DC signal based on an AC start signal input from the outside; a start detection unit which detects the DC signal and activates the battery monitoring and control integrated circuit; and a start output unit which outputs the AC start signal to the outside after the activation of the battery monitoring and control integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Emori, Akihiro Machida
  • Patent number: 9340122
    Abstract: A battery system monitoring apparatus that monitors a battery system is provided having a cell group having a plurality of unit cells connected in series, including: a first control device that controls the cell group; and a plurality of voltage detection lines that connect positive electrodes and negative electrodes of the unit cells to the first control device, for measuring inter-terminal voltages of the unit cells. The first control device includes a balancing switch connected between the voltage detection line connected to the positive electrode of each unit cell and the voltage detection line connected to the negative electrode thereof for conducting balancing discharge of the unit cell, for each of the unit cells. A first resistor is disposed in series with each of the voltage detection lines, a first capacitor is connected between the voltage detection line, and a GND which is a lowest-level potential of the cell group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsumi Yamauchi, Akihiro Machida, Akihiko Kudo, Akihiko Emori, Mutsumi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9333874
    Abstract: A battery system for vehicle comprises a battery unit that is constituted with a plurality of serially connected cell groups each include a plurality of serially connected battery cells, integrated circuits that are each disposed in correspondence to one of the cell groups of the battery unit and each measure terminal voltages at the battery cells in the corresponding cell group, and a signal transmission path through which one of the integrated circuits is connected to another one of the integrated circuits or to a circuit other than that of the integrated circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Kubo, Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Emori
  • Patent number: 9293937
    Abstract: An electric storage device includes an assembled battery including a plurality of electric cells connected in series; an assembled battery control unit that estimates internal resistances of the plurality of electric cells, or a magnitude relationship of the internal resistances of the plurality of electric cells; an assembled battery control unit that calculates such a discharge quantity that an SOC after the electric cells have been discharged becomes lower as the internal resistance of the electric cells, which is estimated by the assembled battery control unit, is larger, or as the magnitude relationship of the internal resistances of the electric cells is estimated to be larger by the assembled battery control unit, for each of the electric cells; and electric cell control units that discharge each of the plurality of electric cells on the basis of the discharge quantity calculated by the assembled battery control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Youhei Kawahara, Ryouhei Nakao, Akihiko Kudo, Akihiko Emori, Keiichiro Okawa, Yoshinori Aoshima
  • Publication number: 20160061901
    Abstract: A battery system monitoring device includes a plurality of battery monitoring circuits, which is respectively provided in cell groups, and a balancing resistor. Each of the battery monitoring circuits includes a cell voltage measurement unit to measure a cell voltage of each single battery cell at predetermined timing, a discharge switch to switch a state of a discharge current which flows from each single battery cell through the balancing resistor, and a balancing control unit configured to control the discharge switch. A filter circuit is connected between the cell voltage measurement unit and each single battery cell. The cell voltage measurement unit determines whether a cell voltage is measured within a transient response period corresponding to a time constant of the filter circuit and corrects a measurement value of a cell voltage by using a correction value correcting a result of the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Akihiko KUDO, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Tomonori KANAI
  • Patent number: 9255957
    Abstract: An earth fault detection circuit for detecting an earth fault between a high-voltage battery and a motor includes: an A.C. signal generation portion generating an A.C. signal; a first capacitive element between the A.C. signal generation portion and one end side of the high-voltage battery; a voltage dividing circuit dividing a voltage on the one end side of the high-voltage battery; an earth fault detection portion detecting the earth fault between the high-voltage battery and the motor based on an earth fault detection signal inputted thereto; and a second capacitive element inputting an A.C. component of the voltage, on the one end side of the high-voltage battery, which is obtained by the voltage division in the voltage dividing circuit as the earth fault detection signal to the earth fault detection portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Arima, Akihiko Kudo
  • Publication number: 20160028092
    Abstract: A new BiVO4-laminate manufacturing method and BiVO4 laminate are provided. A bismuth-vanadate laminate is manufactured as follows: a substrate that can be heated by microwaves is disposed inside a precursor solution containing a vanadium salt and a bismuth salt, microwave-activated chemical bath deposition (MW-CBD) is used to form a bismuth-vanadate layer on the substrate, and a firing process is performed as necessary. A bismuth-vanadate laminate manufactured in this way is suitable for use as a photocatalyst or photoelectrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2014
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Akihiko KUDO, Qingxin JIA, Akihide IWASE
  • Publication number: 20160006343
    Abstract: A power supply startup system activates a power supply of a device provided with a battery or the like at high speed by a wireless signal while suppressing current consumption on standby. The power supply startup system includes a battery, a device supplied with a power from the battery, and a controller which performs wireless communication with the device. The device includes a power supply section which generates a power supply from the battery, a startup section which receives a wireless startup signal transmitted by the controller and outputs a startup signal to the power supply section, a control section which controls the power supply section and the startup section, and a wireless communication section which performs wireless communication with the controller. The wireless startup signal includes at least two signal regions of a first stage and a second stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takahide TERADA, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Akihiko KUDO, Takanori YAMAZOE, Hiroshi IWASAWA
  • Publication number: 20150357685
    Abstract: A battery system that is capable of transmitting the voltage value of each cell by means of wireless communication while suppressing costs and suppressing the number of components includes: a plurality of cells, each having a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal; voltage detection circuits that detect the voltages of the plurality cells; voltage detection lines that connect each of the positive electrode and negative electrode terminals of the cells to each voltage detection circuit; and an upper controller that performs wireless communication with the voltage detection circuits so as to receive, from each of the voltage detection circuits, the corresponding voltage of each cells. The voltage detection lines function as an antenna used to provide wireless communication between the voltage detection circuit and the upper controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi IWASAWA, Takahide TERADA, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Takanori YAMAZOE, Tomonori KANAI, Akihiko KUDO, Takashi TAKEUCHI
  • Publication number: 20150323609
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device for monitoring a cell group made by connecting a plurality of single battery cells in series includes a reference voltage generation circuit configured to generate a variable reference voltage, a switching circuit configured to select, as a measurement target voltage, any one of a plurality of types of voltages including the cell voltages of the single battery cells in the cell group and the reference voltage, and an AD converter configured to measure the measurement target voltage which is selected by the switching circuit, and output a digital signal according to the measurement result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiko KUDO, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Tomonori KANAI, Tatsumi YAMAUCHI, Akihiro MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20150303728
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device monitors a battery having a plurality of cell groups in which a plurality of cells is connected in series. The battery monitoring device comprises at one or more integrated circuit units, each of which corresponds to each cell group, that respectively measure the voltages of the cells of the cell group and performs cell balancing in order to adjust the capacities of the cells of the cell group; a control unit that controls the integrated circuit unit; and a power supply unit that supplies power to the control unit. The control unit causes the integrated circuit unit to start or to stop cell balancing, and sets a timer period for starting or stopping supply of the power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hikaru MIURA, Akihiko KUDO
  • Patent number: 9130379
    Abstract: A vehicle power supply system comprises a battery module that includes a plurality of battery cells, battery cell control devices and a signal transmission path through which signals are transmitted. The battery cell control devices comprises a voltage measurement circuit that measures terminal voltages at the battery cells, an abnormality diagnosis circuit that diagnoses an abnormality in the battery cell control device, a timing control circuit that outputs a signal for instructing measurement phase and a signal for instructing diagnosis phase, and a communication circuit that outputs a signal indicating the terminal voltage and a signal based upon a diagnosis result by the abnormality diagnosis circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kei Sakabe, Akihiko Emori, Akihiko Kudo, Kenji Kubo, Youhei Kawahara, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Tatsumi Yamauchi
  • Publication number: 20150191102
    Abstract: A battery system for vehicle comprises a battery unit that is constituted with a plurality of serially connected cell groups each include a plurality of serially connected battery cells, integrated circuits that are each disposed in correspondence to one of the cell groups of the battery unit and each measure terminal voltages at the battery cells in the corresponding cell group, and a signal transmission path through which one of the integrated circuits is connected to another one of the integrated circuits or to a circuit other than that of the integrated circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Inventors: Kenji KUBO, Akihiko KUDO, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Akihiko EMORI
  • Publication number: 20150168474
    Abstract: A leak detection device includes a pulse signal outputting portion that outputs predetermined pulse signals to a positive connecting wire connected to a positive side of a battery and a negative connecting wire connected to a negative side of the battery. A response waveform detecting portion of the leak detection device detects a positive response waveform for the pulse signal output to the positive connecting wire and a negative response waveform for the pulse signal output to the negative connecting wire. An amplitude ratio calculating portion calculates an amplitude ratio based on the positive response waveform and the negative response waveform, and a leak detecting portion detects a leak between the battery and a ground based on the amplitude ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Yoshioka, Tsuyoshi Kai, Akihiko Kudo, Masahiro Ueda
  • Publication number: 20150155722
    Abstract: A battery monitoring and control integrated circuit is connected to a cell group having a plurality of series-connected single cells for monitoring and controlling the single cells, and includes: a first start input terminal for connecting to a DC signal generation circuit which generates a DC signal based on an AC start signal input from the outside; a start detection unit which detects the DC signal and activates the battery monitoring and control integrated circuit; and a start output unit which outputs the AC start signal to the outside after the activation of the battery monitoring and control integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI VEHICLE ENERGY, LTD.,
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Emori, Akihiro Machida
  • Patent number: 9048667
    Abstract: A suppressed noise cell controller includes, corresponding to a number of cell packs, a plurality of ICs each having a voltage detecting circuit detecting voltages of respective cells of a cell pack in which four cells are connected in series, a switch control circuit controlling conduction and a blocking operation of a plurality of switch elements connected in parallel to the respective cells via capacity adjusting resistors, terminal LIN1 for inputting control information, terminal LIN2 for outputting control information, terminal Vcc and GND terminal, and terminal LIN2 of a higher-order IC and terminal LIN1 of a lower-order IC are daisy chain connected. The Vcc terminal of each IC is connected to a positive electrode of a higher-order cell among cells constituting a corresponding cell pack via a noise eliminating inductor, and the GND terminal is coupled directly to Vcc of the lower-order IC. Noise isn't superposed on LIN1 or LIN2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Nagaoka, Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Kenichiro Tsuru, Tatsumi Yamauchi, Akihiko Emori
  • Publication number: 20150145481
    Abstract: A battery control device that controls a battery module in which a plurality of cell groups, in each of which a plurality of cells are connected in series, are connected in series or series-parallel, includes: a plurality of cell controller ICs that control each of the plurality of cell groups; and one or more connectors that are provided for connecting the plurality of cell controller ICs to the battery module; wherein: the plurality of cell controller ICs include first and second cell controller ICs that are provided in sequence, so as to control two or more of the cell groups that are connected in series; and an auxiliary connection member (a pin) is provided for connecting GND terminal side wiring of the first cell controller IC and VCC terminal side wiring of the second cell controller IC together, externally to the battery control device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Tatsumi YAMAUCHI, Akihiro MACHIDA, Akihiko KUDO