Patents by Inventor Kazuaki Sano

Kazuaki Sano 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: 7928694
    Abstract: An overcharge detecting comparator (121) detects an overcharged state of a battery (101), and an overcurrent detecting comparator (120) detects an overcurrent state of the battery (101). In response to output signals from those comparators, a control circuit (210) performs on/off control of each of a switch (102) and a protection circuit (50). In response to an output signal from the control circuit (210), the protection circuit (50) is turned on, to thereby connect a resistor (125) to a path connecting a VSS terminal and an overcurrent detecting terminal, and is turned off, to thereby disconnect the resistor (125) from the path. As a result, even when the battery is in the overcurrent state, current consumption can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sano, Atsushi Sakurai, Toshiyuki Koike
  • Patent number: 7923968
    Abstract: A charge and discharge control circuit which accommodates pulsed charge and pulsed discharge and can control charge and discharge of a secondary battery with safety, and a rechargeable power supply device having the same built therein are provided. The charge and discharge control circuit includes a delay time switching circuit for shortening a delay time of overcharge detection after charge inhibition is canceled. When overcharge is detected after the charge inhibition is canceled, the charge is inhibited in a delay time which is shorter than a normal delay time of the overcharge detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sano, Kiyoshi Yoshikawa, Toshiyuki Koike, Yoshihisa Tange, Atsushi Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20110050176
    Abstract: Provided are a battery state monitoring circuit and a battery device that are capable of reliably controlling charge by a charger even if a voltage of a secondary battery drops to around 0 V. In the battery device provided with the battery state monitoring circuit, respective gate voltages of a P-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor and an N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor, which together form a voltage detection circuit for detecting a voltage of around 0 V of the secondary battery, are applied by a voltage dividing resistor circuit that is connected across terminals of the secondary battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Koike, Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano, Wataru Sakamoto, Fumihiko Maetani, Shohei Tsukamoto
  • Publication number: 20110050172
    Abstract: Provided are a charge/discharge control circuit and a charging type power supply device which include an intermediate terminal disconnection detection circuit having low current consumption. In the charge/discharge control circuit, a constant current circuit serving as an intermediate terminal disconnection detection circuit is provided to a terminal to which secondary batteries are connected, and includes a depletion type metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor and a resistor connected between a gate terminal and a source terminal of the depletion type MOS transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sano, Wataru Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20110037432
    Abstract: Provided are a battery state monitoring circuit and a battery device which can be readily adapted to variation in number of batteries, and has low withstand voltage and a simple circuit configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Inventors: Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano
  • Patent number: 7791315
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a battery state monitoring circuit and a battery device which are capable of normally operating when a charger (301) is connected to an opposite polarity in error, and then correctly connected. In the case where the charger (301) is connected to the opposite polarity in error and then correctly connected, a logic circuit (305) does not output a power-down signal that powers down the respective circuits to the respective circuits by the aid of a power-down preventing circuit (110). As a result, the battery device normally operates without falling into the power-down state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.,
    Inventors: Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano, Toshiyuki Koike
  • Publication number: 20100194343
    Abstract: Provided are a battery state monitoring circuit and a battery device which are capable of inhibiting discharge without enabling an overdischarge cell balance function when an overcurrent detection circuit detects a discharge overcurrent, without the need for an additional terminal of the battery state monitoring circuit. A detection signal of the overcurrent detection circuit is input to each of a communication terminal for overdischarge signal and a communication terminal for overcharge signal included in the battery state monitoring circuit provided on a side of the overcurrent detection circuit. An overdischarge cell balance circuit outputs a cell balance signal when an overdischarge detection signal indicates an overdischarge non-detected state, an overdischarge signal indicates an overdischarge detected state, and an overcharge signal indicates an overcharge non-detected state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sano, Wataru Sakamoto, Toshiyuki Koike, Muneharu Kawana
  • Patent number: 7737663
    Abstract: Provided is a charging and discharging protection circuit realizing low current consumption in an overcurrent detection state, easy calculation of an automatic return impedance, and high usability. A pull-down circuit for pulling down an overcurrent detection terminal to a VSS terminal is connected in series between the overcurrent detection terminal and a switching circuit. The switching circuit is connected in series between the pull-down circuit and the VSS terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano, Toshiyuki Koike
  • Patent number: 7719235
    Abstract: Provided is a charge/discharge protection circuit, which has a simple circuit configuration using a double-throw semiconductor switching device and is capable of recovering from a state where charging/discharging is inhibited with the double-throw semiconductor switching device being turned off. The charge/discharge protection circuit includes a charge/discharge control circuit which is provided with a second terminal for detecting which one of a charger and a load is connected to an external terminal. The second terminal has a first resistor and a first switch connected in series between a power source, and has a second resistor and a second switch connected in series between a ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sano, Atsushi Sakurai, Toshiyuki Koike
  • Publication number: 20090243546
    Abstract: Provided are a charge and discharge control circuit capable of reducing a circuit size, and a battery device. In a charger reverse connection detection circuit (116), a comparison circuit or the like is not used, and two NMOS transistors are used, whereby circuit sizes of the reverse connection detection circuit (116) and a charge and discharge control circuit (110) are reduced. Accordingly, a consumption current is reduced, and a manufacturing cost is also reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano
  • Publication number: 20090243543
    Abstract: Provided is a charge and discharge control circuit capable of further preventing poor charge of a battery, and a battery device. Cell balance periods are detected before charge of respective batteries is stopped even when an overcharge detection voltage of a certain charge and discharge control circuit becomes lower than a cell balance period detection voltage thereof due to process variations occurring in mass production of the charge and discharge control circuits. That is, the charge of the respective batteries is stopped after cell balance control. Therefore, the respective batteries can be further prevented from being poorly charged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Muneharu Kawana, Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano, Toshiyuki Koike, Yoshihisa Tange
  • Publication number: 20090213511
    Abstract: Provided is a battery protection circuit and a battery device which may be manufactured at lower cost. Before all terminals of a battery protection circuit are each connected to batteries, even when a logical circuit malfunctions by an operation of a parasitic bipolar transistor formed by P-wells due to a connection order in which the batteries are connected, the logical circuit is reset by an operation of a parasitic bipolar transistor formed by the P-wells. For this reason, a charge/discharge path of the batteries is not interrupted due to the connection order. Accordingly, no limitation is placed on the connection order.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Yoshikawa, Atsushi Sakurai, Toshiyuki Koike, Kazuaki Sano, Yoshihisa Tange
  • Publication number: 20090185323
    Abstract: In order to provide an overheat protection circuit having a small mounting area, the overheat protection circuit includes: a resistor bridge circuit which includes: a plurality of resistors each having a temperature coefficient; an input terminal; and an output terminal; and a comparator circuit connected to the output terminal and the input terminal of the resistor bridge circuit. Parts are each provided in the vicinity of one of the plurality of resistors each having the temperature coefficient, and the comparator circuit outputs an overheat detection signal when a temperature of one of the parts is equal to or higher than an overheat detection temperature. With this structure, a large number of parts can be protected from overheating by a minimum number of overheat protection circuits. Therefore, a circuit scale becomes smaller, and hence a cost for overheat protection becomes lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Yoshikawa, Toshiyuki Koike, Shohei Tsukamoto, Kazuaki Sano, Fumihiko Maetani, Wataru Sakamoto, Atsushi Sakurai, Muneharu Kawana, Yoshihisa Tange
  • Publication number: 20090179617
    Abstract: Provided is a battery state monitoring circuit for manufacturing a battery device at low cost, and a battery device including the same. A charge control transistor and a discharge control transistor are structured so as to be operated based on a low-level signal which is based on a ground voltage (VSS) and a high-level signal which is based on a voltage of a voltage regulator, which is lower than a power supply voltage (VDD) based on a voltage of a battery, respectively. Accordingly, in the charge control transistor and the discharge control transistor, voltages applied to gates thereof become low, whereby a low-breakdown-voltage element can be used. This leads to a reduction in cost for the charge control transistor and the discharge control transistor, leading to a reduction in manufacturing cost for the battery device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Koike, Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano, Yoshihisa Tange, Muneharu Kawana
  • Patent number: 7550947
    Abstract: Provided are a battery state monitoring circuit in which charging of a secondary battery in an over-charge detection state is prevented to improve safety, and a battery device including the battery state monitoring circuit. A circuit for consuming a leakage current is provided in the battery state monitoring circuit to prevent the secondary battery from being charged with the leakage current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano, Toshiyuki Koike
  • Publication number: 20090079395
    Abstract: A charge and discharge control circuit which accommodates pulsed charge and pulsed discharge and can control charge and discharge of a secondary battery with safety, and a rechargeable power supply device having the same built therein are provided. The charge and discharge control circuit includes a delay time switching circuit for shortening a delay time of overcharge detection after charge inhibition is canceled. When overcharge is detected after the charge inhibition is canceled, the charge is inhibited in a delay time which is shorter than a normal delay time of the overcharge detection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sano, Kiyoshi Yoshikawa, Toshiyuki Koike, Yoshihisa Tange, Atsushi Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20080224664
    Abstract: An overcharge detecting comparator (121) detects an overcharged state of a battery (101), and an overcurrent detecting comparator (120) detects an overcurrent state of the battery (101). In response to output signals from those comparators, a control circuit (210) performs on/off control of each of a switch (102) and a protection circuit (50). In response to an output signal from the control circuit (210), the protection circuit (50) is turned on, to thereby connect a resistor (125) to a path connecting a VSS terminal and an overcurrent detecting terminal, and is turned off, to thereby disconnect the resistor (125) from the path. As a result, even when the battery is in the overcurrent state, current consumption can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sano, Atsushi Sakurai, Toshiyuki Koike
  • Publication number: 20080203971
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a battery state monitoring circuit and a battery device which are capable of normally operating when a charger (301) is connected to an opposite polarity in error, and then correctly connected. In the case where the charger (301) is connected to the opposite polarity in error and then correctly connected, a logic circuit (305) does not output a power-down signal that powers down the respective circuits to the respective circuits by the aid of a power-down preventing circuit (110). As a result, the battery device normally operates without falling into the power-down state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventors: Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano, Toshiyuki Koike
  • Publication number: 20080157719
    Abstract: Provided are a semiconductor device and a rechargeable power supply unit which are capable of accurately detecting an overcharge state of a battery even in a case where the battery is charged with a sine wave charger. In a case where a 1/2 cycle of a charging voltage of the sine wave charger is shorter than a delay time for cancellation of an overdischarge state, when it is detected that a voltage of the battery in the overdischarge state exceeds an overdischarge detection voltage and becomes equal to or higher than an overcharge detection voltage, a delay circuit sets the delay time for cancellation of the overdischarge state to 0 seconds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Koike, Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano
  • Publication number: 20080036422
    Abstract: Provided is a charging and discharging protection circuit realizing low current consumption in an overcurrent detection state, easy calculation of an automatic return impedance, and high usability. A pull-down circuit for pulling down an overcurrent detection terminal to a VSS terminal is connected in series between the overcurrent detection terminal and a switching circuit. The switching circuit is connected in series between the pull-down circuit and the VSS terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Inventors: Atsushi Sakurai, Kazuaki Sano, Toshiyuki Koike