Patents by Inventor Hirokazu Nishijima

Hirokazu Nishijima 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: 10480383
    Abstract: There is provided a technology pertaining to abnormality diagnosis of an NSR catalyst that enables the diagnosis that the NSR catalyst is abnormal to be made even when the degree of deterioration of the NSR catalyst is relatively small yet. An abnormality diagnosis apparatus is applied to an exhaust gas purification apparatus having an NSR catalyst and a fuel addition valve. The abnormality diagnosis apparatus includes a controller configured to perform a specific fuel addition process and diagnose the NSR catalyst. The controller starts the specific fuel addition process when the NSR catalyst is in a specific start condition, and diagnoses the NSR catalyst on the basis of the quantity of NOx flowing out of the NSR catalyst over a specific period in the period from when the specific fuel addition process is started to when the temperature of the NSR catalyst reaches the thermal desorption temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishijima, Toru Kidokoro, Kazuya Takaoka
  • Patent number: 10287956
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis apparatus that carries out standard diagnosis processing in which a failure of the particulate filter is diagnosed by making a comparison between an output value of the PM sensor at the time when a predetermined period of time has passed from a point in time at which sensor regeneration processing for removing the particulate matter deposited on an insulation layer of the PM sensor has ended, and a predetermined threshold value, the standard diagnosis processing is carried out in the case where rich spike processing according to the in-cylinder rich control is not carried out during the predetermined period of time, whereas the rich spike processing according to the in-cylinder rich control is carried out during the predetermined period of time, the standard diagnosis processing is not carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishijima, Toru Kidokoro, Makoto Ogiso, Kazuya Takaoka
  • Patent number: 10221746
    Abstract: The invention provides a technique for more accurately executing failure diagnosis for an exhaust gas control apparatus having both a selective reduction function and a filter function. To this end, a failure diagnosis apparatus according to the invention for the exhaust gas control apparatus having both the selective reduction function and the filter function computes a NOx purification rate pertaining to a case where the exhaust gas control apparatus is normal based on an estimated value of the amount of particulate matter (PM) collected or accumulated in the exhaust gas control apparatus and an estimated value of the NO2 ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust gas control apparatus, and determines that the exhaust gas control apparatus fails when the difference between the result of the calculation and an actual NOx purification rate exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toru Kidokoro, Arifumi Matsumoto, Kazuya Takaoka, Hirokazu Nishijima, Taiga Hagimoto, Yuki Terui, Akifumi Uozumi
  • Patent number: 10125655
    Abstract: A filter abnormality determination system includes: a PM sensor configured to introduce a part of exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust gas passage on the downstream side of a filter into a sensor body and to correlate a sensor output with an amount of particulate matter accumulated on a sensor element in the sensor body; an abnormality determining unit configured to perform filter abnormality determination on the basis of the output of the PM sensor; a determination timing determining unit configured to determine a timing at which the abnormality determining unit performs the abnormality determination on the basis of an estimated amount of particulate matter accumulated on the sensor element; and a determination performing adjusting unit configured to adjust the performing timing determined by the determination timing determining unit depending on a variation of an exhaust gas flow rate per unit time in the exhaust gas passage in which the PM sensor is disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuya Takaoka, Tomoyuki Kogo, Hirokazu Nishijima
  • Publication number: 20180274427
    Abstract: There is provided a technology pertaining to abnormality diagnosis of an NSR catalyst that enables the diagnosis that the NSR catalyst is abnormal to be made even when the degree of deterioration of the NSR catalyst is relatively small yet. An abnormality diagnosis apparatus is applied to an exhaust gas purification apparatus having an NSR catalyst and a fuel addition valve. The abnormality diagnosis apparatus includes a controller configured to perform a specific fuel addition process and diagnose the NSR catalyst. The controller starts the specific fuel addition process when the NSR catalyst is in a specific start condition, and diagnoses the NSR catalyst on the basis of the quantity of NOx flowing out of the NSR catalyst over a specific period in the period from when the specific fuel addition process is started to when the temperature of the NSR catalyst reaches the thermal desorption temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu NISHIJIMA, Toru KIDOKORO, Kazuya TAKAOKA
  • Publication number: 20180230876
    Abstract: At a time of an abnormality diagnosis, for a NOx storage reduction catalyst, a predetermined fuel addition process is started when the temperature of the NOx storage reduction catalyst is lower than a predetermined temperature and a NOx storage amount in the NOx storage reduction catalyst is equal to or more than a predetermined storage amount. Then, the abnormality diagnosis for the NOx storage reduction catalyst is performed based on a comparison between an integrated value of a NOx outflow amount after the predetermined fuel addition process is started and before the temperature of the NOx storage reduction catalyst reaches the predetermined temperature and an integrated value of the NOx outflow amount after the temperature of the NOx storage reduction catalyst reaches the predetermined temperature during the execution of the predetermined fuel addition process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirokazu NISHIJIMA
  • Patent number: 10009116
    Abstract: Either the electronic timepiece or the communication device of a communication system has a first communicator, and the other has a second communicator. The first communicator has a first transmitter including a transmission coil and a drive circuit configured to drive the transmission coil, and is configured to transmit signals by communicating through electromagnetic coupling; and an first receiver including a photodetector and a detection circuit that detects the output value of the photodetector, and configured to receive signals by optical communication. The second communicator has an second transmitter including a light-emitting device and a drive circuit that drives the light-emitting device, and configured to transmit signals by optical communication; and a second receiver including a reception coil and a detection circuit that detects the output value of the reception coil, and configured to receive signals by communicating through electromagnetic coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Norimitsu Baba, Hirokazu Nishijima
  • Patent number: 9879628
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis device of an emission control system that utilizes an electrode-based PM sensor to diagnose a failure of a particulate filter, some embodiments may be to suppress reduction of accuracy of diagnosis of a failure due to in-cylinder rich control. The failure diagnosis device of the emission control system performs a measurement process. The measurement process includes a sensor recovery process of removing PM depositing between the electrodes of the electrode-based PM sensor, a process of starting application of the predetermined voltage to the electrodes of the PM sensor after completion of the sensor recovery process, and a process of obtaining an output value of the PM sensor after elapse of a predetermined time period since the start of application of the predetermined voltage to the electrodes of the PM sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishijima, Toru Kidokoro, Kazuya Takaoka
  • Publication number: 20170234195
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis apparatus that carries out standard diagnosis processing in which a failure of the particulate filter is diagnosed by making a comparison between an output value of the PM sensor at the time when a predetermined period of time has passed from a point in time at which sensor regeneration processing for removing the particulate matter deposited on an insulation layer of the PM sensor has ended, and a predetermined threshold value, the standard diagnosis processing is carried out in the case where rich spike processing according to the in-cylinder rich control is not carried out during the predetermined period of time, whereas the rich spike processing according to the in-cylinder rich control is carried out during the predetermined period of time, the standard diagnosis processing is not carried out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu NISHIJIMA, Toru KIDOKORO, Makoto OGISO, Kazuya TAKAOKA
  • Patent number: 9677452
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to suppress a reduction in accuracy of abnormality diagnosis with an abnormality diagnosis device for an exhaust gas control apparatus that performs the abnormality diagnosis regarding the exhaust gas control apparatus by using the amount of NOx flowing into an SCR catalyst as a parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kogo, Makoto Ogiso, Taiga Hagimoto, Arifumi Matsumoto, Kazuya Takaoka, Hirokazu Nishijima, Kenji Furui
  • Patent number: 9657666
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis device of an emission control system that utilizes an electrode-based PM sensor provided downstream of a particulate filter in an exhaust conduit to diagnose a failure of the particulate filter, disclosed embodiments may suppress reduction of accuracy of diagnosis of a failure due to in-cylinder rich control. The failure diagnosis device of the emission control system starts application of a predetermined voltage to electrodes of the electrode-based PM sensor after a sensor recovery process that removes PM depositing between the electrodes of the PM sensor, and diagnoses a failure of the particulate filter based on an output of the PM sensor measured after elapse of a predetermined time period since the start of application of the predetermined voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishijima, Toru Kidokoro, Kazuya Takaoka
  • Patent number: 9657627
    Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis apparatus includes an exhaust gas purification apparatus arranged in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and including a SCR catalyst; a supply apparatus supplying an additive such as ammonia to the exhaust gas purification apparatus; an EGR apparatus recirculating a part of exhaust gas from the exhaust passage at a downstream side of a position of supplying the additive to an intake passage; obtaining means for obtaining a NOx inflow amount into the exhaust gas purification apparatus; diagnosing means for calculating a physical quantity correlated to a NOx purification performance of the exhaust gas purification apparatus using the obtained NOx inflow amount, and diagnosing that an abnormality has occurred in the exhaust gas purification apparatus when the physical quantity is smaller than a threshold; and correcting means for, when the additive is recirculated together with a part of the exhaust gas, correcting the threshold to a smaller value than when otherwise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kogo, Makoto Ogiso, Taiga Hagimoto, Arifumi Matsumoto, Kazuya Takaoka, Hirokazu Nishijima, Kenji Furui
  • Patent number: 9617938
    Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis apparatus includes: an exhaust gas purification apparatus arranged in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and including a selective catalytic reduction catalyst; a supply apparatus supplying an additive such as ammonia to the exhaust gas purification apparatus; an EGR apparatus recirculating a part of exhaust gas from the exhaust passage at a downstream side of a position of supplying the additive to an intake passage; calculating means for calculating a NOx inflow amount into the exhaust gas purification apparatus using a parameter indicating an operating state of the internal combustion engine; diagnosing means for diagnosing an abnormality in the exhaust gas purification apparatus using the calculated NOx inflow amount as a parameter; and correcting means for, when a part of the exhaust gas is recirculated, increasingly correcting the calculated NOx inflow amount in accordance with an amount of the additive to be recirculated together with exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kogo, Makoto Ogiso, Kazuya Takaoka, Taiga Hagimoto, Arifumi Matsumoto, Hirokazu Nishijima, Kenji Furui
  • Patent number: 9519273
    Abstract: An electronic timepiece has a display device that displays display information, a drive mechanism that drives the display device, a crown that can perform a rotary operation, and a control device that corrects the display information displayed on the display device by the rotary operation of the crown. The control device has a single correction mode and a continuous correction mode which are selected by the rotary operation of the crown. In the single correction mode, a single correction signal is output to the drive mechanism so that the display device is corrected as much as a single correction quantity. In the continuous correction mode, a continuous correction signal is output to the drive mechanism so that the display device is corrected as much as a continuous correction quantity. The continuous correction quantity is set depending on types of the display information to be corrected in the continuous correction mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hirokazu Nishijima
  • Publication number: 20160326936
    Abstract: A filter abnormality determination system includes: a PM sensor configured to introduce a part of exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust gas passage on the downstream side of a filter into a sensor body and to correlate a sensor output with an amount of particulate matter accumulated on a sensor element in the sensor body; an abnormality determining unit configured to perform filter abnormality determination on the basis of the output of the PM sensor; a determination timing determining unit configured to determine a timing at which the abnormality determining unit performs the abnormality determination on the basis of an estimated amount of particulate matter accumulated on the sensor element; and a determination performing adjusting unit configured to adjust the performing timing determined by the determination timing determining unit depending on a variation of an exhaust gas flow rate per unit time in the exhaust gas passage in which the PM sensor is disposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya TAKAOKA, Tomoyuki KOGO, Hirokazu NISHIJIMA
  • Publication number: 20160299475
    Abstract: Either the electronic timepiece or the communication device of a communication system has a first communicator, and the other has a second communicator. The first communicator has a first transmitter including a transmission coil and a drive circuit configured to drive the transmission coil, and is configured to transmit signals by communicating through electromagnetic coupling; and an first receiver including a photodetector and a detection circuit that detects the output value of the photodetector, and configured to receive signals by optical communication. The second communicator has an second transmitter including a light-emitting device and a drive circuit that drives the light-emitting device, and configured to transmit signals by optical communication; and a second receiver including a reception coil and a detection circuit that detects the output value of the reception coil, and configured to receive signals by communicating through electromagnetic coupling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Norimitsu BABA, Hirokazu NISHIJIMA
  • Publication number: 20160273465
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis device of an emission control system that utilizes an electrode-based PM sensor provided downstream of a particulate filter in an exhaust conduit to diagnose a failure of the particulate filter, disclosed embodiments may suppress reduction of accuracy of diagnosis of a failure due to in-cylinder rich control. The failure diagnosis device of the emission control system starts application of a predetermined voltage to electrodes of the electrode-based PM sensor after a sensor recovery process that removes PM depositing between the electrodes of the PM sensor, and diagnoses a failure of the particulate filter based on an output of the PM sensor measured after elapse of a predetermined time period since the start of application of the predetermined voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu NISHIJIMA, Toru KIDOKORO, Kazuya TAKAOKA
  • Publication number: 20160265461
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis device of an emission control system that utilizes an electrode-based PM sensor to diagnose a failure of a particulate filter, some embodiments may be to suppress reduction of accuracy of diagnosis of a failure due to in-cylinder rich control. The failure diagnosis device of the emission control system performs a measurement process. The measurement process includes a sensor recovery process of removing PM depositing between the electrodes of the electrode-based PM sensor, a process of starting application of the predetermined voltage to the electrodes of the PM sensor after completion of the sensor recovery process, and a process of obtaining an output value of the PM sensor after elapse of a predetermined time period since the start of application of the predetermined voltage to the electrodes of the PM sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu NISHIJIMA, Toru KIDOKORO, Kazuya TAKAOKA
  • Patent number: 9366168
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to increase the accuracy of a deterioration determination in a deterioration determination system of an exhaust emission control device having a selective reduction type NOx catalyst, by suppressing false determinations when the deterioration determination is made. The deterioration determination system includes a catalyst having an oxidative capacity downstream of a NOx catalyst using ammonia as a reducing agent. When an amount of ammonia adsorbed by the NOx catalyst is larger than an equilibrium adsorption amount, out of the amount of ammonia flowing into the catalyst having the oxidative capacity, at least one of the amount of ammonia flowing out from the catalyst having the oxidative capacity and the amount of ammonia converted to NOx in the catalyst having the oxidative capacity or a total value of both is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Arifumi Matsumoto, Toru Kidokoro, Taiga Hagimoto, Kazuya Takaoka, Hirokazu Nishijima, Yuki Terui, Akifumi Uozumi
  • Publication number: 20160131003
    Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis apparatus includes an exhaust gas purification apparatus arranged in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and including a SCR catalyst; a supply apparatus supplying an additive such as ammonia to the exhaust gas purification apparatus; an EGR apparatus recirculating a part of exhaust gas from the exhaust passage at a downstream side of a position of supplying the additive to an intake passage; obtaining means for obtaining a NOx inflow amount into the exhaust gas purification apparatus; diagnosing means for calculating a physical quantity correlated to a NOx purification performance of the exhaust gas purification apparatus using the obtained NOx inflow amount, and diagnosing that an abnormality has occurred in the exhaust gas purification apparatus when the physical quantity is smaller than a threshold; and correcting means for, when the additive is recirculated together with a part of the exhaust gas, correcting the threshold to a smaller value than when otherwise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoyuki KOGO, Makoto OGISO, Taiga HAGIMOTO, Arifumi MATSUMOTO, Kazuya TAKAOKA, Hirokazu NISHIJIMA, Kenji FURUI