Patents by Inventor Hirofumi Kinjo

Hirofumi Kinjo 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: 11973448
    Abstract: A drive device for a rotary electric machine includes a first inverter that has high-potential side and low-potential side switching elements corresponding to phases of the rotary electric machine and is connected to a DC power supply, a second inverter that has high-potential side and low-potential side switching elements corresponding to the phases and is connected to the first inverter via a connection line, and a controller that controls the first and second inverters so that if a percentage modulation expressed by a fundamental wave component amplitude of a phase winding voltage and a DC voltage is a threshold value or more, percentage modulations of output phase voltages of the first and second inverters are more than 1, and so that a phase difference between a phase of the output phase voltage of the first inverter section and that of the second inverter section changes depending on the percentage modulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Takashi Kashiwazaki, Makoto Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11489474
    Abstract: In a driving device for a rotating electric machine, a first inverter unit blocks and allows, for each winding of multi-phase windings of the rotating electric machine, current conduction on one side of the winding and a second inverter unit blocks and allows current conduction on the other side of the winding. A plurality of second switching elements forming the second inverter unit each have a lower ON resistance than a plurality of first switching elements forming the first inverter unit. A controller is configured to switch on and off the respective first switching elements at a switching frequency higher than an electric fundamental frequency and switch on and off the respective second switching elements at a switching frequency lower than the switching frequency at which to switch on and off the first switching elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Makoto Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11323009
    Abstract: A rotating electric machine unit includes a rotating electric machine, a high heat generation circuit and a low heat generation circuit both of which are electrically connected with the rotating electric machine, a first cooler, a first-coolant supplier, a second cooler and a second-coolant supplier. The first cooler is configured to cool both the high heat generation circuit and the low heat generation circuit with a first coolant. The first-coolant supplier is configured to supply the first coolant to the first cooler. The second cooler is configured to cool the rotating electric machine with a second coolant. The second-coolant supplier is configured to supply the second coolant to the second cooler. The second-coolant supplier is formed integrally with a low heat generation circuit-cooling part of the first cooler. The second-coolant supplier includes a heat exchanger via which heat is exchanged between the first coolant and the second coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryotaro Okamoto, Hirofumi Kinjo, Makoto Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11228270
    Abstract: A drive apparatus is provided for driving a multi-phase rotating electric machine. The rotating electric machine includes a plurality of winding groups for respective phases. The drive apparatus includes a first inverter connected with start terminals of the winding groups of the rotating electric machine, a second inverter connected with intermediate terminals of the winding groups, and an energization controller configured to selectively perform energization of the winding groups by the first inverter and energization of the winding groups by the second inverter. Each of the first and second inverters includes a plurality of switch pairs respectively corresponding to the winding groups and each consisting of an upper-arm switch and a lower-arm switch that are connected in series with each other. Moreover, each of the upper-arm and lower-arm switches of the first inverter is configured to have bidirectionally-conducting and bidirectionally-blocking functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Yuji Ito, Makoto Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11223311
    Abstract: In a rotary electric machine, a rotor, and a stator. The stator includes slots provided in a circumferential direction thereof, and stator windings wound in the slots. The stator windings include n groups of three-phase windings, where n is a power of 2. The slots include first slots each accommodating portions of same-group and same-phase windings in the n groups of three-phase windings. The energizing directions of the same-group and same-phase windings are identical to each other. The second slots each accommodate different-group and same-phase windings in the n groups of three-phase windings. The first slots and the second slots are arranged in the stator at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of the stator, and the three-phase windings of each group are wound around the stator with regular intervals therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Toru Wakimoto, Makoto Taniguchi, Keiji Kondo, Jun Ishida, Tomoya Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11196315
    Abstract: A drive apparatus is provided for driving a rotating electric machine having first and second multi-phase coils. The drive apparatus includes first and second inverters, first and second shift switches, and first and second energization controllers. The first energization controller is configured to turn on and off, for each of phase windings of the first and second multi-phase coils, one corresponding pair of upper-arm and lower-arm switches of the first and second inverters while keeping the first and second shift switches in an OFF state. The second energization controller is configured to turn on and off, for each corresponding pair of the phase windings of the first and second multi-phase coils, one corresponding upper-arm switch of the first inverter and one corresponding lower-arm switch of the second inverter respectively for first energization periods and second energization periods that are alternately set while keeping the shift switches in an ON state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Makoto Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11196372
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a rotating electric machine is applied to a rotating electric machine system. The rotating electric machine system includes a rotating electric machine having a multiple-phase winding, a first inverter connected to a first end of the winding for each phase, a second inverter connected to a second end of the winding for each phase, a high-potential-side connection line, and a low-potential-side connection line. The control apparatus acquires a parameter that has a correlation with a fundamental current that flows to the winding of each phase. The control apparatus stores, in a storage unit, correspondence information in which the parameter is associated with an amplitude and a phase of a harmonic voltage that is generated in the rotating electric machine. The control apparatus controls each of the first inverter and the second inverter to suppress the harmonic voltage based on the correspondence information and the acquired parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Makoto Taniguchi
  • Publication number: 20210257947
    Abstract: In a driving device for a rotating electric machine, a first inverter unit blocks and allows, for each winding of multi-phase windings of the rotating electric machine, current conduction on one side of the winding and a second inverter unit blocks and allows current conduction on the other side of the winding. A plurality of second switching elements forming the second inverter unit each have a lower ON resistance than a plurality of first switching elements forming the first inverter unit. A controller is configured to switch on and off the respective first switching elements at a switching frequency higher than an electric fundamental frequency and switch on and off the respective second switching elements at a switching frequency lower than the switching frequency at which to switch on and off the first switching elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi KINJO, Makoto TANIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210211084
    Abstract: A drive device for a rotary electric machine includes a first inverter that has high-potential side and low-potential side switching elements corresponding to phases of the rotary electric machine and is connected to a DC power supply, a second inverter that has high-potential side and low-potential side switching elements corresponding to the phases and is connected to the first inverter via a connection line, and a controller that controls the first and second inverters so that if a percentage modulation expressed by a fundamental wave component amplitude of a phase winding voltage and a CD voltage is a threshold value or more, percentage modulations of output phase voltages of the first and second inverters are more than 1, and so that a phase difference between a phase of the output phase voltage of the first inverter section and that of the second inverter section changes depending on the percentage modulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi KINJO, Takashi KASHIWAZAKI, Makoto TANIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200373801
    Abstract: A drive apparatus is provided for driving a rotating electric machine having first and second multi-phase coils. The drive apparatus includes first and second inverters, first and second shift switches, and first and second energization controllers. The first energization controller is configured to turn on and off, for each of phase windings of the first and second multi-phase coils, one corresponding pair of upper-arm and lower-arm switches of the first and second inverters while keeping the first and second shift switches in an OFF state. The second energization controller is configured to turn on and off, for each corresponding pair of the phase windings of the first and second multi-phase coils, one corresponding upper-arm switch of the first inverter and one corresponding lower-arm switch of the second inverter respectively for first energization periods and second energization periods that are alternately set while keeping the shift switches in an ON state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi KINJO, Makoto TANIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200366227
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a rotating electric machine is applied to a rotating electric machine system. The rotating electric machine system includes a rotating electric machine having a multiple-phase winding, a first inverter connected to a first end of the winding for each phase, a second inverter connected to a second end of the winding for each phase, a high-potential-side connection line, and a low-potential-side connection line. The control apparatus acquires a parameter that has a correlation with a fundamental current that flows to the winding of each phase. The control apparatus stores, in a storage unit, correspondence information in which the parameter is associated with an amplitude and a phase of a harmonic voltage that is generated in the rotating electric machine. The control apparatus controls each of the first inverter and the second inverter to suppress the harmonic voltage based on the correspondence information and the acquired parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi KINJO, Makoto TANIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200366232
    Abstract: A drive apparatus is provided for driving a multi-phase rotating electric machine. The rotating electric machine includes a plurality of winding groups for respective phases. The drive apparatus includes a first inverter connected with start terminals of the winding groups of the rotating electric machine, a second inverter connected with intermediate terminals of the winding groups, and an energization controller configured to selectively perform energization of the winding groups by the first inverter and energization of the winding groups by the second inverter. Each of the first and second inverters includes a plurality of switch pairs respectively corresponding to the winding groups and each consisting of an upper-arm switch and a lower-arm switch that are connected in series with each other. Moreover, each of the upper-arm and lower-arm switches of the first inverter is configured to have bidirectionally-conducting and bidirectionally-blocking functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi KINJO, Yuji ITO, Makoto TANIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200052638
    Abstract: In a rotary electric machine, a rotor, and a stator. The stator includes slots provided in a circumferential direction thereof, and stator windings wound in the slots. The stator windings include n groups of three-phase windings, where n is a power of 2. The slots include first slots each accommodating portions of same-group and same-phase windings in the n groups of three-phase windings. The energizing directions of the same-group and same-phase windings are identical to each other. The second slots each accommodate different-group and same-phase windings in the n groups of three-phase windings. The first slots and the second slots are arranged in the stator at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of the stator, and the three-phase windings of each group are wound around the stator with regular intervals therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi KINJO, Toru WAKIMOTO, Makoto TANIGUCHI, Keiji KONDO, Jun ISHIDA, Tomoya TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 10511200
    Abstract: A stator for a electric motor, the stator including: a stator core including a yoke having an annular shape, and a plurality of teeth protruding from an inner circumferential surface of the yoke in a stator radial direction; a stator coil wound around the teeth, the stator coil being configured to generate a rotating magnetic field as a current is applied thereto; and a cancel coil extending in a stator axial direction at positions on the inner circumferential side and the outer circumferential side relative to the yoke, the cancel coil being wound around the stator core so as to extend in the stator radial direction and traverse the yoke at positions outside the stator core in the stator axial direction, and constituting one or more closed circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Masahito Shirahase, Toru Wakimoto, Takeshi Tomonaga, Hiroyuki Hattori
  • Publication number: 20190312487
    Abstract: A rotating electric machine unit includes a rotating electric machine, a high heat generation circuit and a low heat generation circuit both of which are electrically connected with the rotating electric machine, a first cooler, a first-coolant supplier, a second cooler and a second-coolant supplier. The first cooler is configured to cool both the high heat generation circuit and the low heat generation circuit with a first coolant. The first-coolant supplier is configured to supply the first coolant to the first cooler. The second cooler is configured to cool the rotating electric machine with a second coolant. The second-coolant supplier is configured to supply the second coolant to the second cooler. The second-coolant supplier is formed integrally with a low heat generation circuit-cooling part of the first cooler. The second-coolant supplier includes a heat exchanger via which heat is exchanged between the first coolant and the second coolant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Publication date: October 10, 2019
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryotaro OKAMOTO, Hirofumi KINJO, Makoto TANIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20170207673
    Abstract: A stator for a electric motor, the stator including: a stator core including a yoke having an annular shape, and a plurality of teeth protruding from an inner circumferential surface of the yoke in a stator radial direction; a stator coil wound around the teeth, the stator coil being configured to generate a rotating magnetic field as a current is applied thereto; and a cancel coil extending in a stator axial direction at positions on the inner circumferential side and the outer circumferential side relative to the yoke, the cancel coil being wound around the stator core so as to extend in the stator radial direction and traverse the yoke at positions outside the stator core in the stator axial direction, and constituting one or more closed circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirofumi KINJO, Masahito SHIRAHASE, Toru WAKIMOTO, Takeshi TOMONAGA, Hiroyuki HATTORI
  • Patent number: 9621046
    Abstract: In a power converter, a reference signal generator generates a reference signal with a predetermined period. A current detector detects a current flowing in the converter. When a value of the detected current is larger than a value of a predetermined current command, a reset signal generator generates a reset signal. A driving unit drives a switch. The switch is turned on, and subsequently is turned off: (i) in synchronization with the reference signal when the reset signal is not outputted before the reference signal is outputted; and (ii) in synchronization with the reset signal when the reset signal is outputted before the reference signal is outputted. However, the switch is turned off in synchronization with the reset signal during a predetermined time including a first predetermined time before an output timing of the reference signal and a second predetermined time after the output timing of the reference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kinjo, Keiji Shigeoka, Yuji Hayashi, Kimikazu Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20130300397
    Abstract: In a power converter, a reference signal generator generates a reference signal with a predetermined period. A current detector detects a current flowing in the converter. When a value of the detected current is larger than a value of a predetermined current command, a reset signal generator generates a reset signal. A driving unit drives a switch. The switch is turned on, and subsequently is turned off: (i) in synchronization with the reference signal when the reset signal is not outputted before the reference signal is outputted; and (ii) in synchronization with the reset signal when the reset signal is outputted before the reference signal is outputted. However, the switch is turned off in synchronization with the reset signal during a predetermined time including a first predetermined time before an output timing of the reference signal and a second predetermined time after the output timing of the reference signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Hirofumi KINJO, Keiji SHIGEOKA, Yuji HAYASHI, Kimikazu NAKAMURA
  • Patent number: 7814642
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electric rotating machine having a stator that includes a stator core having slots formed at an inner periphery thereof, and a stator winding constituted by conductive wires wound on the slots. The stator winding includes in-slot portions accommodated in the slots and turn portions each connecting each adjacent two of the in-slot portions outside the slots. The stator core includes a core member having at least three tooth portions extending in a radial direction of the stator core and a core back portion integrally connecting the tooth portions at a radially end side thereof. The core member is configured such that each of the first tooth portions folded toward the core back portion is capable of unfolding to extend between a corresponding adjacent two of the in-slot portions when the core member is at a predetermined axial position with respect to the stator winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignees: Nippon Soken, Inc., Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Sadahisa Onimaru, Hirohito Matsui, Hirofumi Kinjo, Katsuhiko Oka, Shinji Kouda
  • Publication number: 20100257722
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electric rotating machine having a stator that includes a stator core having slots formed at an inner periphery thereof, and a stator winding constituted by conductive wires wound on the slots. The stator winding includes in-slot portions accommodated in the slots and turn portions each connecting each adjacent two of the in-slot portions outside the slots. The stator core includes a core member having at least three tooth portions extending in a radial direction of the stator core and a core back portion integrally connecting the tooth portions at a radially end side thereof. The core member is configured such that each of the first tooth portions folded toward the core back portion is capable of unfolding to extend between a corresponding adjacent two of the in-slot portions when the core member is at a predetermined axial position with respect to the stator winding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicants: NIPPON SOKEN, INC., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sadahisa Onimaru, Hirohito Matsui, Hirofumi Kinjo, Katsuhiko Oka, Shinji Kouda