Patents by Inventor Fuminori Yamanashi

Fuminori Yamanashi 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: 6828051
    Abstract: A fuel-cell system for a moving body comprising a reforming reactor (120) for reforming fuel to generate gas including hydrogen, a carbon monoxide removing reactor (130) for removing carbon monoxide included in a reformed gas generated in the reforming reactor, a fuel-cell (200) for generating electric power using the reformed gas and gas including oxygen which passed through the carbon monoxide removing reactor, and a compressor (400) for supplying the gas including oxygen to the reforming reactor, the carbon monoxide removing reactor and the fuel-cell, wherein when it is judged that the moving body was running and the accelerator was closed, fuel, water and gas including oxygen, or fuel and the gas including oxygen is supplied to the reforming reactor such that minimum hydrogen required for maintaining a temperature of the reforming reactor is generated, and minimum gas including oxygen required for maintaining a temperature of the carbon monoxide removing reactor is supplied to the carbon monoxide removing
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Fuminori Yamanashi
  • Patent number: 6767518
    Abstract: A fuel reforming apparatus quickly heats the temperature of a catalyst to an activation temperature to shorten a startup time. The apparatus supplies a hydrocarbon fuel and an oxidizer upstream from a second catalyst (2), and steam upstream from a first catalyst (1). The second catalyst starts a rapid oxidation reaction to generate a high-temperature gas which heats the first catalyst. When the apparatus changes a startup operation or an accelerating operation to a steady operation after a predetermined period, the apparatus supplies the hydrocarbon fuel and steam upstream from the second catalyst, and the oxidizer upstream from the first catalyst. As a result, the second catalyst starts a steam reforming reaction to absorb heat from the second catalyst. And the second catalyst rapidly cools to stop reactions and pass the hydrocarbon fuel and steam with out reactions. Then, a hydrogen-rich reformed gas is generated from the passed hydrocarbon fuel and steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ichikawa, Fuminori Yamanashi, Masakazu Hanawa
  • Patent number: 6632552
    Abstract: In a fuel cell system for use in a vehicle and a method controlling the system, the system includes a fuel cell, a first flow control valve controlling the flow rate of oxygen containing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell, and a second flow control valve controlling the flow rate of hydrogen containing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell. A control unit supplies purge fluid into the fuel cell to remove water in response to a load condition of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Fuminori Yamanashi
  • Publication number: 20030012990
    Abstract: A fuel-cell system for a moving body comprising a reforming reactor (120) for reforming fuel to generate gas including hydrogen, a carbon monoxide removing reactor (130) for removing carbon monoxide included in a reformed gas generated in the reforming reactor, a fuel-cell (200) for generating electric power using the reformed gas and gas including oxygen which passed through the carbon monoxide removing reactor, and a compressor (400) for supplying the gas including oxygen to the reforming reactor, the carbon monoxide removing reactor and the fuel-cell, wherein when it is judged that the moving body was running and the accelerator was closed, fuel, water and gas including oxygen, or fuel and the gas including oxygen is supplied to the reforming reactor such that minimum hydrogen required for maintaining a temperature of the reforming reactor is generated, and minimum gas including oxygen required for maintaining a temperature of the carbon monoxide removing reactor is supplied to the carbon monoxide removing
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Inventor: Fuminori Yamanashi
  • Patent number: 6447735
    Abstract: Plural hydrocarbon HC adsorbing units (A1-A3) and plural three-way catalysts (B1-B3) are accommodated in a shell (2). The HC adsorbing units (A1-A3) and three-way catalysts (B1-B3) are disposed alternately in series, and one of the HC adsorbing units (A1-A3) is disposed in the position nearest to an inlet (14) of the shell (2). The HC contained in exhaust gas when the engine is started cold is first adsorbed by the HC adsorbing units (A1-A3), and the HC desorbed from the HC adsorbing units (A1-A3) with temperature rise is oxidized by the adjacent three-way catalysts (B1-B3) situated downstream. The heat capacities of the HC adsorbing units (A1-A3) and the three-way catalysts (B1-B3) are set so that the timing at which HC starts to be desorbed from the HC adsorbing units (A1-A3) is later than the timing at which HC starts to be oxidized by the three-way catalysts (B1-B3) situated downstream. In this way, HC which are discharged from the engine during a cold start are efficiently purified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fuminori Yamanashi, Kimiyoshi Nishizawa
  • Publication number: 20010047620
    Abstract: A fuel reforming apparatus quickly heats the temperature of a catalyst to an activation temperature to shorten a startup time. The apparatus supplies a hydrocarbon fuel and an oxidizer upstream from a second catalyst (2 ), and steam upstream from a first catalyst (1 ). The second catalyst starts a rapid oxidation reaction to generate a high-temperature gas which heats the first catalyst. When the apparatus changes a startup operation or an accelerating operation to a steady operation after a predetermined period, the apparatus supplies the hydrocarbon fuel and steam upstream from the second catalyst, and the oxidizer upstream from the first catalyst. As a result, the second catalyst starts a steam reforming reaction to absorb heat from the second catalyst. And the second catalyst rapidly cools to stop reactions and pass the hydrocarbon fuel and steam with out reactions. Then, a hydrogen-rich reformed gas is generated from the passed hydrocarbon fuel and steam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Publication date: December 6, 2001
    Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ichikawa, Fuminori Yamanashi, Masakazu Hanawa
  • Publication number: 20010016276
    Abstract: In a fuel cell system for use in a vehicle and a method controlling the system, the system includes a fuel cell, a first flow control valve controlling the flow rate of oxygen containing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell, and a second flow control valve controlling the flow rate of hydrogen containing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell. A control unit supplies purge fluid into the fuel cell to remove water in response to a load condition of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Publication date: August 23, 2001
    Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Fuminori Yamanashi
  • Patent number: 6220018
    Abstract: A three-way catalytic converter is provided in the exhaust passage of an engine. An HC trap type catalytic converter which acts as an HC trap and which has a greater oxygen storage capacity than the three-way catalytic converter is disposed downstream of the three-way catalytic converter. It is necessary to create a super-oxygenated atmosphere above an HC emission temperature in order to release HC which has been absorbed by the HC trap type catalytic converter. Since the oxygen storage capacity of the three-way catalytic converter is low, a super-oxygenated atmosphere is immediately created in the HC trap type catalytic converter by varying the air-fuel ratio to a lean air-fuel ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fuminori Yamanashi, Kimiyoshi Nishizawa, Mikio Tsuzuki, Ritsuo Sato
  • Patent number: 5570575
    Abstract: A fuel delivery control apparatus for use with an internal combustion engine including an exhaust system having a catalytic converter containing catalysts operable at a temperature for purifying exhaust gases discharged through the exhaust system. A fuelcut control is performed to interrupt fuel delivery to the engine during engine deceleration. The fuelcut control is inhibited when the catalyst temperature exceeds a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ritsuo Sato, Kimiyoshi Nishizawa, Fuminori Yamanashi, Katsuhiro Shibata, Hideharu Ehara, Kaoru Ikeda, Keiji Yakushiji, Ken Ouchi, Kiyotaka Baba
  • Patent number: 5376610
    Abstract: A catalyst for exhaust gas purification has at least one monolith carrier, at least one first catalyst layer having a three-way catalytic activity, provided on the carrier, and a second catalyst layer having a hydrocarbon purification activity, provided on the first catalyst layer. In a gasoline engine automobile provided with the above catalyst for exhaust gas purification in the exhaust gas system, the hydrocarbons present in the exhaust gas can be converted at a high efficiency by introducing secondary air into the exhaust gas in front of the catalyst to make the exhaust gas lean, at the engine start when a large amount of unburnt hydrocarbons are present in the exhaust gas. Further, the engine warm-up property of the automobile can be improved by the heat generated by the catalytic reaction of the hydrocarbons. The catalyst further exhibits a three-way catalytic activity even during the steady state engine operation after warm-up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Takahata, Hideharu Ehara, Fuminori Yamanashi, Katsuhiro Shibata, Fumio Abe, Tomoharu Kondo, Junichi Suzuki, Naomi Noda