Patents by Inventor Daniel Folick

Daniel Folick 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).

  • Patent number: 11482719
    Abstract: A system for providing oxygen to a fuel cell circuit includes a compressor and a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells. The system also includes a plurality of pipes and a pressure sensor designed to detect pressure at a first location. The system also includes a memory to store a model of the fuel cell circuit and an ECU. The ECU determines a control signal corresponding to desirable operation of the compressor and determines flow values of the gas through each component based on the detected pressure and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also determines pressure values of each component based on the determined flow values and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also controls operation of the compressor based on the control signal, at least one of the flow values, and at least one of the pressure values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Naoki Tomi
  • Patent number: 11094950
    Abstract: A system includes a fuel cell stack that receives a fluid, an actuator to increase or decrease a fluid temperature of the fluid, a pipe to facilitate flow of the fluid, and a memory designed to store a model of the fuel cell circuit. The system also includes an ECU that calculates mass flow values of the fluid through the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on a previously-determined mass flow value and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also calculates a plurality of pressure values corresponding to the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on the plurality of mass flow values and the model, controls the actuator position of the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature based on at least one of the plurality of mass flow values and at least one of the plurality of pressure values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Patent number: 10985391
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices of a cooling system for controlling air or liquid flow. The fluid system includes one or more actuators that control the air or liquid flow. The fluid system includes multiple interconnecting pipes that transport the air or liquid flow. Each pipe may have a mass flow for the air or liquid flow. The fluid system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to determine an initial mass flow of the air or liquid flow. The electronic control unit is configured to determine the mass flow for each pipe based on the initial mass flow. The electronic control unit is configured to predict a cooling capability of the air or liquid flow within each pipe and control the one or more actuators to regulate or control cooling of one or more components of the vehicle based on the predicted cooling capability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick
  • Patent number: 10971748
    Abstract: A system for controlling airflow through a fuel cell circuit includes a fuel cell stack. The system also includes a valve having a valve position that affects a pressure of the gas and a valve area corresponding to a cross-sectional area of the valve through which the gas may flow. The system also includes a memory designed to store a map or function that correlates the valve area to the valve position. The system also includes an ECU to determine or receive a desired mass flow rate of the gas through the valve, and calculate a desired valve area to achieve the desired mass flow rate. The ECU is also designed to compare the desired valve area to the map or function to determine a desired valve position that provides the desired valve area, and to control the valve to have the desired valve position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Naoki Tomi
  • Patent number: 10916788
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices of a control system for gas flow. The control system controls gas flow through a fuel cell stack of a vehicle. The control system includes two or more components including one or more actuators and a fuel cell. The control system includes an electronic control unit connected to the two or more components. The control system is configured to determine initial values and previous timestep values. The control system is configured to determine or estimate a total pressure of the gas flow in each of the two or more components based on the initial values and the previous timestep values. The control system is configured to control the one or more actuators based on the total pressure of the gas flow in each of the two or more components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignees: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Shigeki Hasegawa, Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Motoyuki Kimata
  • Patent number: 10862143
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices of a control system. The control system includes a fuel cell stack. The control system includes a compressor that is configured to control and provide a total air flow within the vehicle. The compressor has an air pressure ratio and an air flow rate and operates at a speed. The control system includes an electronic control unit coupled to the fuel cell stack and the compressor. The electronic control unit is configured to determine a path associated with one or more adjustments to the air pressure ratio or the air flow rate. The electronic control unit is configured to determine a rate associated with the one or more adjustments based on the path and control at least one of the air pressure ratio, the speed or the air flow rate to operate the compressor based on the path and the rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignees: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jared M. Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Naoki Tomi
  • Patent number: 10777831
    Abstract: A system for heating or cooling a fuel cell circuit of a vehicle includes a fuel cell stack, a temperature sensor to detect a fluid temperature of the fluid, a pump to pump the fluid through the fuel cell circuit, and an ECU. The ECU is designed to determine a temperature control signal based on the fluid temperature of the fluid. The ECU is also designed to calculate a desired mass flow rate of the fluid through the fuel cell stack based on the temperature control signal. The ECU is also designed to calculate a desired pump speed of the pump based on the desired mass flow rate of the fluid through the fuel cell stack. The ECU is also designed to control the pump to pump the fluid at the desired pump speed to increase or decrease the fluid temperature of the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20200251760
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices of a control system for gas flow. The control system controls gas flow through a fuel cell stack of a vehicle. The control system includes two or more components including one or more actuators and a fuel cell. The control system includes an electronic control unit connected to the two or more components. The control system is configured to determine initial values and previous timestep values. The control system is configured to determine or estimate a total pressure of the gas flow in each of the two or more components based on the initial values and the previous timestep values. The control system is configured to control the one or more actuators based on the total pressure of the gas flow in each of the two or more components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Shigeki Hasegawa, Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Motoyuki Kimata
  • Publication number: 20200243880
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices of a control system. The control system includes a fuel cell stack. The control system includes a compressor that is configured to control and provide a total air flow within the vehicle. The compressor has an air pressure ratio and an air flow rate and operates at a speed. The control system includes an electronic control unit coupled to the fuel cell stack and the compressor. The electronic control unit is configured to determine a path associated with one or more adjustments to the air pressure ratio or the air flow rate. The electronic control unit is configured to determine a rate associated with the one or more adjustments based on the path and control at least one of the air pressure ratio, the speed or the air flow rate to operate the compressor based on the path and the rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Inventors: Jared M. Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Naoki Tomi
  • Patent number: 10720655
    Abstract: A system includes a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells and designed to receive a fluid and to heat the fluid. The system also includes an actuator to increase or decrease a fluid temperature of the fluid and an ECU. The ECU can determine a temperature control signal corresponding to a desired temperature of the fluid and perform a feedforward control of the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature towards the desired temperature. The ECU can also determine a temperature difference between the fluid temperature and the desired temperature, and can determine a sensitivity that corresponds a change in a parameter value or the actuator position to a change in the fluid temperature. The ECU can also apply the sensitivity to the temperature difference to determine an error signal, and control the actuator based on the error signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Naoki Tomi, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Patent number: 10714773
    Abstract: A system for heating or cooling a fuel cell circuit includes a fuel cell stack designed to receive a fluid. The system also includes a temperature sensor to detect a fluid temperature of the fluid, an actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature, and an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU is designed to receive a target fuel cell temperature corresponding to the fuel cell stack and based on a power request, to determine a temperature rate of change corresponding to a desired rate of temperature change of a current fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell stack to achieve the target fuel cell temperature based on the target fuel cell temperature, and to control the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature based on the temperature rate of change to cause the current fuel cell temperature to increase or decrease to the target fuel cell temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Patent number: 10665875
    Abstract: A system includes a compressor to pump a gas at a compressor flow rate, and a fuel cell stack that receives the gas. The system also includes a memory to store a compressor flow map corresponding to a desirable progression shape of the compressor flow rate from a starting compressor flow rate to a target compressor flow rate over a period of time. The system also includes an ECU to determine or receive a control signal corresponding to a final target compressor flow rate and to determine the starting compressor flow rate. The ECU also determines an intermediate target compressor flow rate using the compressor flow map based on the final target compressor flow rate, the starting compressor flow rate, and an amount of time since determining or receiving the control signal, and controls the compressor based on the intermediate target compressor flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick
  • Patent number: 10657737
    Abstract: A system includes an input device that receives desirable performance characteristics of a vehicle a diagnostic processor that receives vehicle test data, and determines undesirable vehicle performance data points by comparing the desirable vehicle performance characteristics to the test data. The diagnostic processor also determines undesirable system data points that correspond to likely causes of the undesirable vehicle performance data points by comparing the desirable system performance characteristics to the test data, and determines undesirable component data points that correspond to likely causes of the undesirable system data points by comparing the desirable component performance characteristics to the test data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Andrew G. Sata, Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Tomoo Yoshizumi
  • Publication number: 20190280320
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices of a cooling system for controlling air or liquid flow. The fluid system includes one or more actuators that control the air or liquid flow. The fluid system includes multiple interconnecting pipes that transport the air or liquid flow. Each pipe may have a mass flow for the air or liquid flow. The fluid system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to determine an initial mass flow of the air or liquid flow. The electronic control unit is configured to determine the mass flow for each pipe based on the initial mass flow. The electronic control unit is configured to predict a cooling capability of the air or liquid flow within each pipe and control the one or more actuators to regulate or control cooling of one or more components of the vehicle based on the predicted cooling capability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick
  • Publication number: 20190181475
    Abstract: A system for providing oxygen to a fuel cell circuit includes a compressor and a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells. The system also includes a plurality of pipes and a pressure sensor designed to detect pressure at a first location. The system also includes a memory to store a model of the fuel cell circuit and an ECU. The ECU determines a control signal corresponding to desirable operation of the compressor and determines flow values of the gas through each component based on the detected pressure and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also determines pressure values of each component based on the determined flow values and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also controls operation of the compressor based on the control signal, at least one of the flow values, and at least one of the pressure values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Naoki Tomi
  • Publication number: 20190181464
    Abstract: A system includes a compressor to pump a gas at a compressor flow rate, and a fuel cell stack that receives the gas. The system also includes a memory to store a compressor flow map corresponding to a desirable progression shape of the compressor flow rate from a starting compressor flow rate to a target compressor flow rate over a period of time. The system also includes an ECU to determine or receive a control signal corresponding to a final target compressor flow rate and to determine the starting compressor flow rate. The ECU also determines an intermediate target compressor flow rate using the compressor flow map based on the final target compressor flow rate, the starting compressor flow rate, and an amount of time since determining or receiving the control signal, and controls the compressor based on the intermediate target compressor flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick
  • Publication number: 20190181477
    Abstract: A system for controlling airflow through a fuel cell circuit includes a fuel cell stack. The system also includes a valve having a valve position that affects a pressure of the gas and a valve area corresponding to a cross-sectional area of the valve through which the gas may flow. The system also includes a memory designed to store a map or function that correlates the valve area to the valve position. The system also includes an ECU to determine or receive a desired mass flow rate of the gas through the valve, and calculate a desired valve area to achieve the desired mass flow rate. The ECU is also designed to compare the desired valve area to the map or function to determine a desired valve position that provides the desired valve area, and to control the valve to have the desired valve position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Naoki Tomi
  • Publication number: 20190165396
    Abstract: A system for heating or cooling a fuel cell circuit includes a fuel cell stack designed to receive a fluid. The system also includes a temperature sensor to detect a fluid temperature of the fluid, an actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature, and an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU is designed to receive a target fuel cell temperature corresponding to the fuel cell stack and based on a power request, to determine a temperature rate of change corresponding to a desired rate of temperature change of a current fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell stack to achieve the target fuel cell temperature based on the target fuel cell temperature, and to control the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature based on the temperature rate of change to cause the current fuel cell temperature to increase or decrease to the target fuel cell temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20190165395
    Abstract: A system includes a fuel cell stack that receives a fluid, an actuator to increase or decrease a fluid temperature of the fluid, a pipe to facilitate flow of the fluid, and a memory designed to store a model of the fuel cell circuit. The system also includes an ECU that calculates mass flow values of the fluid through the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on a previously-determined mass flow value and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also calculates a plurality of pressure values corresponding to the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on the plurality of mass flow values and the model, controls the actuator position of the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature based on at least one of the plurality of mass flow values and at least one of the plurality of pressure values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20190165394
    Abstract: A system for heating or cooling a fuel cell circuit of a vehicle includes a fuel cell stack, a temperature sensor to detect a fluid temperature of the fluid, a pump to pump the fluid through the fuel cell circuit, and an ECU. The ECU is designed to determine a temperature control signal based on the fluid temperature of the fluid. The ECU is also designed to calculate a desired mass flow rate of the fluid through the fuel cell stack based on the temperature control signal. The ECU is also designed to calculate a desired pump speed of the pump based on the desired mass flow rate of the fluid through the fuel cell stack. The ECU is also designed to control the pump to pump the fluid at the desired pump speed to increase or decrease the fluid temperature of the fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda