Patents by Inventor Hirotaka Saito

Hirotaka Saito 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: 20240238718
    Abstract: A heater element includes: a honeycomb structure comprising an outer peripheral wall and partition walls disposed on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall, the partition walls defining a plurality of cells, each of the cells extending from a first end face to a second end face to form a flow path, at least the partition walls 14 being made of a material having a PTC property; a pair of electrodes provided on the first end face and the second end face; and terminals provided on at least a part of the pair of electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2023
    Publication date: July 18, 2024
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka SAITO, Takafumi HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20240239153
    Abstract: A heater element includes: a honeycomb structure having an outer peripheral wall and partition walls disposed on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall, the partition walls defining a plurality of cells, each of the cells extending from a first end face to a second end face to form a flow path; a first electrode including an electrode portion A1 provided on the first end face, and an electrode portion B1 connected to the electrode portion A1 and provided on surfaces of the partition walls in an extending direction of the flow path from the first end face; and a second electrode including an electrode portion A2 provided on the second end face, and an electrode portion B2 connected to the electrode portion A2 and provided on surfaces of the partition walls in the extending direction of the flow path from the second end face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2023
    Publication date: July 18, 2024
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi HAMADA, Hirotaka SAITO
  • Publication number: 20240227506
    Abstract: A heater element includes: a honeycomb structure; a negative electrode; a positive electrode; and a functional material-containing layer. The honeycomb structure includes an outer peripheral wall and partition walls disposed on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall, the partition walls defining a plurality of cells, each of the cells extending from an inlet end face to an outlet end face to form a flow path, at least the partition walls being made of a material having a PTC property. The functional material-containing layer includes at least a dehumidifying material, the functional material-containing layer being provided on surfaces of the partition walls.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2023
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Narimasa SHINODA, Hirotaka SAITO, Takafumi HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20240181902
    Abstract: A non-contact charging system includes: a power transmission coil; a living body detector; a vehicle; a power reception coil; an auxiliary battery; and a control device. Further, the control device adjust a detection range of the living body detector, and starts the charging control in a case where the control device determines that the charging control is not executed and that a state in which there is no living body detected within the detection range continues for a predetermined time or more in a state where the vehicle is stopped immediately above the power transmission coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2023
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirotaka SAITO
  • Patent number: 11974954
    Abstract: An electric power assist device includes a processor including hardware. The processor assists human power input from a user to a drive member with power of a motor, determines whether a current position is located outdoors using a signal from a sensor, and when determination is made that the current position is located outdoors, reduces an assist amount by the motor as compared with a case where the current position is located indoors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuma Matsumoto, Hirotaka Saito, Yuka Shiraiwa, Takahiro Uchida, Shuji Moriyama
  • Patent number: 11932132
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a vehicle equipped with a battery, a power supply device, and a control device that controls power supply from the power supply device to the vehicle. The vehicle includes an engine and a motor that receives the power supplied from the battery to generate traveling drive force. When the power supply by the power supply device is requested from the vehicle, the control device (a) acquires a remaining amount of fuel for the engine from the vehicle, (b) outputs an instruction to urge the vehicle to shorten a charging time when the remaining amount of fuel is larger than a reference value, and (c) sets at least one of a unit price for charging power or a unit price for fuel lower when a response to accept the instruction is received from the vehicle compared with when the instruction is not accepted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Matsumori, Yoshihiro Sakayanagi, Manabu Handa, Midori Sugiyama, Hirotaka Saito, Yuki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11828609
    Abstract: A vehicle information DB holds information on whether or not a vehicle falls under a welfare vehicle provided with an assistance apparatus for a driver who has a lower limb impairment. A power feed facility DB holds position information of a power feed facility and information indicating whether the power feed facility falls under a contact type power feed facility or a wireless power feed facility. A processing apparatus creates a travel route such that a larger number of wireless power feed facilities are included along the travel route when the vehicle falls under the welfare vehicle than when the vehicle does not fall under the welfare vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daiki Yokoyama, Yoshihiro Sakayanagi, Midori Sugiyama, Tomohiro Kaneko, Hirotaka Saito
  • Patent number: 11791671
    Abstract: A charging seat includes a processor having hardware. The processor is configured to detect that a user is seated in a seat portion, detect an electric assistance apparatus that is worn by the user and assists the user in walking, and supply electric power in conformity with a charging standard of the electric assistance apparatus to the electric assistance apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka Shiraiwa, Hirotaka Saito, Yuma Matsumoto, Takahiro Uchida, Shuji Moriyama
  • Patent number: 11725557
    Abstract: An electric heating type carrier including a conductive honeycomb structure portion and a pair of electrode layers, wherein in a cross-section orthogonal to the direction in which the cells extend, the honeycomb structure portion is classified into following three regions: a first resistance region having a contact portion with a first electrode layer, a second resistance region having a contact portion with a second electrode layer, and a third resistance region that does not come into contact with either the first electrode layer or the second electrode layer, and traverses the cross-section so as to be sandwiched between the first resistance region and the second resistance region, and has a higher electrical resistance per unit volume (1 cm3) than an electrical resistance per unit volume (1 cm3) of the first resistance region and the second resistance region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Saito, Naoki Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11686589
    Abstract: A charging amount calculation apparatus calculates an amount of power consumption by a battery for running along a running route and a during-running charging amount received by a power reception apparatus from at least one second power feeding facility. The charging amount calculation apparatus calculates a pre-running charging amount based on the amount of power consumption and the during-running charging amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daiki Yokoyama, Yoshihiro Sakayanagi, Midori Sugiyama, Tomohiro Kaneko, Hirotaka Saito
  • Patent number: 11673542
    Abstract: A controller is installed in a vehicle. The vehicle includes an engine, rotary electric machine for power generation, rotary electric machine for propulsion, power storage device, inverter for power generation, and inverter for propulsion. The controller includes a drive control changing unit that changes drive control of at least one of the rotary electric machine for power generation and the rotary electric machine for propulsion, for reduction of a total value of a power-generation-side ripple current generated according to an operating state of the rotary electric machine for power generation, and a drive-side ripple current generated according to the operating state of the rotary electric machine for propulsion, when the total value is equal to or larger than a preset threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taiga Hagimoto, Hirotaka Saito, Hideto Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20230140698
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a vehicle equipped with a battery, a power supply device, and a control device that controls power supply from the power supply device to the vehicle. The vehicle includes an engine and a motor that receives the power supplied from the battery to generate traveling drive force. When the power supply by the power supply device is requested from the vehicle, the control device (a) acquires a remaining amount of fuel for the engine from the vehicle, (b) outputs an instruction to urge the vehicle to shorten a charging time when the remaining amount of fuel is larger than a reference value, and (c) sets at least one of a unit price for charging power or a unit price for fuel lower when a response to accept the instruction is received from the vehicle compared with when the instruction is not accepted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi MATSUMORI, Yoshihiro SAKAYANAGI, Manabu HANDA, Midori SUGIYAMA, Hirotaka SAITO, Yuki TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20230083650
    Abstract: A communication device acquires schedule information in which a schedule of a user who uses a hybrid electric vehicle is recorded. The schedule information includes a traveling schedule for causing the hybrid electric vehicle to travel in a predetermined period. The predetermined period is a period from when fuel of an engine is refueled to a predetermined deterioration time. When a traveling distance in a long-distance traveling schedule is a first distance, an ECU increases a usage ratio of the engine in the predetermined period than when the traveling distance is a second distance that is longer than the first distance. The long-distance traveling schedule is a schedule included in the traveling schedule and in which the hybrid electric vehicle travels for a predetermined distance or longer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi MATSUMORI, Yoshihiro SAKAYANAGI, Manabu HANDA, Midori SUGIYAMA, Hirotaka SAITO, Yuki TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20230028323
    Abstract: A charging amount calculation apparatus calculates an amount of power consumption by a battery for running along a running route and a during-running charging amount received by a power reception apparatus from at least one second power feeding facility. The charging amount calculation apparatus calculates a pre-running charging amount based on the amount of power consumption and the during-running charging amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daiki YOKOYAMA, Yoshihiro SAKAYANAGI, Midori SUGIYAMA, Tomohiro KANEKO, Hirotaka SAITO
  • Publication number: 20230028631
    Abstract: A vehicle information DB holds information on whether or not a vehicle falls under a welfare vehicle provided with an assistance apparatus for a driver who has a lower limb impairment. A power feed facility DB holds position information of a power feed facility and information indicating whether the power feed facility falls under a contact type power feed facility or a wireless power feed facility. A processing apparatus creates a travel route such that a larger number of wireless power feed facilities are included along the travel route when the vehicle falls under the welfare vehicle than when the vehicle does not fall under the welfare vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daiki YOKOYAMA, Yoshihiro SAKAYANAGI, Midori SUGIYAMA, Tomohiro KANEKO, Hirotaka SAITO
  • Publication number: 20230001825
    Abstract: A server prepares a charging plan for a travel route to a destination. The server obtains an outside air temperature and a battery temperature. The server reads a map from a storage, and calculates an amount of required heat required for increasing the battery temperature to a target temperature by collating the outside air temperature and the battery temperature with the map. The server prepares the charging plan such that an SOC of a battery at the time of arrival at the destination attains to a prescribed SOC and a sum of an amount of heat generation by charging of the battery at a charging point and an amount of heat generation by charging and discharging of the battery with travel of a vehicle is equal to the amount of required heat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daiki YOKOYAMA, Yoshihiro SAKAYANAGI, Midori SUGIYAMA, Tomohiro KANEKO, Hirotaka SAITO
  • Publication number: 20220316379
    Abstract: An electric heating type carrier including a conductive honeycomb structure portion and a pair of electrode layers, wherein in a cross-section orthogonal to the direction in which the cells extend, the honeycomb structure portion is classified into following three regions: a first resistance region having a contact portion with a first electrode layer, a second resistance region having a contact portion with a second electrode layer, and a third resistance region that does not come into contact with either the first electrode layer or the second electrode layer, and traverses the cross-section so as to be sandwiched between the first resistance region and the second resistance region, and has a higher electrical resistance per unit volume (1 cm3) than an electrical resistance per unit volume (1 cm3) of the first resistance region and the second resistance region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotaka SAITO, Naoki YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20220219669
    Abstract: An information processing device includes a processor including hardware. When a vehicle equipped with a battery that supplies electric power to a traction motor acquires disaster information indicating that occurrence of a predictable disaster is predicted around a current position while the vehicle is traveling, the processor sets an area that is reachable with a current state of charge of the battery and is a safe area for the disaster, guides the vehicle to the set area, and switches to an energy saving mode in which power consumption is smaller than a normal mode when the vehicle reaches the area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka SHIRAIWA, Hirotaka SAITO, Yuma MATSUMOTO, Takahiro UCHIDA, Shuji MORIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20220211567
    Abstract: The electric power assist device includes a processor that includes hardware. The processor controls an operation amount and an operation speed of an actuator that assists a user in walking with the electric power assist device worn on the user, detects biometric information of the user, and controls the actuator such that the operation amount becomes larger than the operation amount in normal times but length of stride or the operation speed while walking is assisted becomes smaller than the length of stride or the operation speed in normal times, when determination is made that a physical condition of the user is poor based on the detected biometric information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka SHIRAIWA, Hirotaka SAITO, Yuma MATSUMOTO, Takahiro UCHIDA, Shuji MORIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20220200363
    Abstract: A charging seat includes a processor having hardware. The processor is configured to detect that a user is seated in a seat portion, detect an electric assistance apparatus that is worn by the user and assists the user in walking, and supply electric power in conformity with a charging standard of the electric assistance apparatus to the electric assistance apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka SHIRAIWA, Hirotaka SAITO, Yuma MATSUMOTO, Takahiro UCHIDA, Shuji MORIYAMA