Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Ikuma

Hitoshi Ikuma 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: 7808123
    Abstract: A power supply system for supplying power to a plurality of loads includes a plurality of fuel cells for generating and supplying power to be supplied to the respectively corresponding loads, wherein the fuel cells are provided to correspond to the plurality of loads, a power network for receiving surplus power, which is generated ‘by the fuel cells except power to be supplied to the loads corresponding to the fuel cells, and supplying the surplus power to the loads short of power, wherein the power network is coupled to the plurality of fuel cells, and a control unit for stopping power generation of a first fuel cell among the fuel cells corresponding to a first load among the loads and controlling a second fuel cell among the fuel cells to generate power to be supplied to the first load as the surplus power if an amount of power to be supplied to the first load is less than a predetermined first threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: The Japan Research Institute, Limited
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ikuma, Makoto Inoue
  • Publication number: 20090230767
    Abstract: A power supply system for supplying power to a plurality of loads includes a plurality of fuel cells for generating and supplying power to be supplied to the respectively corresponding loads, wherein the fuel cells are provided to correspond to the plurality of loads, a power network for receiving surplus power, which is generated ‘by the fuel cells except power to be supplied to the loads corresponding to the fuel cells, and supplying the surplus power to the loads short of power, wherein the power network is coupled to the plurality of fuel cells, and a control unit for stopping power generation of a first fuel cell among the fuel cells corresponding to a first load among the loads and controlling a second fuel cell among the fuel cells to generate power to be supplied to the first load as the surplus power if an amount of power to be supplied to the first load is less than a predetermined first threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: THE JAPAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE, LIMITED
    Inventors: HITOSHI IKUMA, Makoto Inoue
  • Patent number: 7535118
    Abstract: There is provided a power supply system for supplying power to a plurality of loads includes: a fuel cell for generating DC power; a plurality of connection units, wherein one of the plurality of connection units receives information to decide power consumption of the load from the load when any of the plurality of loads is connected to any of the connection units; and a control unit operable to compute the power consumption of the load based on the information received by the connection unit when power supply is requested from another load among the plurality of loads connected to the connection unit, and operable to inform a user of power shortage without supplying power to the load when the power consumption of the load is higher than surplus power of the fuel cell, in a state where power is supplied to at least one of the plurality of loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: The Japan Research Institute, Limited
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ikuma, Makoto Inoue
  • Patent number: 7518262
    Abstract: A power supply system for supplying power to a plurality of loads includes a plurality of fuel cells for generating and supplying power to be supplied to the respectively corresponding loads, wherein the fuel cells are provided to correspond to the plurality of loads, a power network for receiving surplus power, which is generated by the fuel cells except power to be supplied to the loads corresponding to the fuel cells, and supplying the surplus power to the loads short of power, wherein the power network is coupled to the plurality of fuel cells, and a control unit for stopping power generation of a first fuel cell among the fuel cells corresponding to a first load among the loads and controlling a second fuel cell among the fuel cells to generate power to be supplied to the first load as the surplus power if an amount of power to be supplied to the first load is less than a predetermined first threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: The Japan Research Insitute, Limited
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ikuma, Makoto Inoue
  • Patent number: 6981379
    Abstract: To provide a power supply system that allows the current maximum power generation capability to be easily recognized, this power supply system includes a plurality of fuel cells for generating power and supplying the power to loads; a performance storage section for storing a maximum power value indicating a maximum value of a power generation ability of each fuel cell; a test device for sequentially performing maximum power generation testing on at least one of the fuel cells at a predetermined time interval; an update section for updating the maximum power value of each fuel cell, the maximum power value being stored on the performance storage section, according to a result of the performance test; a power-generation-amount detection section for detecting the total of amounts of power generated and supplied by the fuel cells to the loads; and a surplus-power determination section for determining surplus power, which can be excessively generated by the power supply system, at the predetermined time interval
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: The Japan Research Institute, Limited
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ikuma, Makoto Inoue
  • Publication number: 20050084721
    Abstract: There is provided a power supply system for supplying power to a plurality of loads includes: a fuel cell for generating DC power; a plurality of connection units, wherein one of the plurality of connection units receives information to decide power consumption of the load from the load when any of the plurality of loads is connected to any of the connection units; and a control unit operable to compute the power consumption of the load based on the information received by the connection unit when power supply is requested from another load among the plurality of loads connected to the connection unit, and operable to inform a user of power shortage without supplying power to the load when the power consumption of the load is higher than surplus power of the fuel cell, in a state where power is supplied to at least one of the plurality of loads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Publication date: April 21, 2005
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ikuma, Makoto Inoue
  • Publication number: 20050019621
    Abstract: To provide a power supply system that allows the current maximum power generation capability to be easily recognized, this power supply system includes a plurality of fuel cells for generating power and supplying the power to loads; a performance storage section for storing a maximum power value indicating a maximum value of a power generation ability of each fuel cell; a test device for sequentially performing maximum power generation testing on at least one of the fuel cells at a predetermined time interval; an update section for updating the maximum power value of each fuel cell, the maximum power value being stored on the performance storage section, according to a result of the performance test; a power-generation-amount detection section for detecting the total of amounts of power generated and supplied by the fuel cells to the loads; and a surplus-power determination section for determining surplus power, which can be excessively generated by the power supply system, at the predetermined time interval
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ikuma, Makoto Inoue
  • Publication number: 20050019629
    Abstract: A power supply system for supplying power to a plurality of loads includes a plurality of fuel cells for generating and supplying power to be supplied to the respectively corresponding loads, wherein the fuel cells are provided to correspond to the plurality of loads, a power network for receiving surplus power, which is generated by the fuel cells except power to be supplied to the loads corresponding to the fuel cells, and supplying the surplus power to the loads short of power, wherein the power network is coupled to the plurality of fuel cells, and a control unit for stopping power generation of a first fuel cell among the fuel cells corresponding to a first load among the loads and controlling a second fuel cell among the fuel cells to generate power to be supplied to the first load as the surplus power if an amount of power to be supplied to the first load is less than a predetermined first threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ikuma, Makoto Inoue