Patents by Inventor Kazuma FUKUSHIMA

Kazuma FUKUSHIMA 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: 20250038673
    Abstract: An inverter device includes an inverter outer peripheral wall, a high voltage board, a control board, and an arm switch unit. The inverter outer peripheral wall has an inner peripheral surface. The high voltage board and the control board extend in a direction orthogonal to an axial direction. In the high voltage board and the control board, an outer peripheral end extends in a ring shape in a circumferential direction along the inner peripheral surface. In the arm switch unit, a drain terminal and a source terminal are connected to the high voltage board, and a gate terminal and a driver source terminal are connected to the control board. Multiple arm switch units are arranged in the circumferential direction along the outer peripheral end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma FUKUSHIMA, Hiroshi TAKI
  • Patent number: 12167580
    Abstract: Disclosed is a cooling system for cooling an electric drive system. The electric drive system includes a motor and an inverter configured to drive the motor. The cooling system includes a first cooler, a second cooler, a circulating flow passage and a pump. The first cooler is configured to cool the motor by heat exchange using a coolant flowing through the first cooler. The second cooler is configured to cool the inverter by heat exchange using the coolant flowing through the second cooler. The circulating flow passage passes through both the first and second coolers, and the coolant circulates in the circulating flow passage. The pump is arranged in the circulating flow passage to pump the coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma Fukushima, Tomohisa Sano
  • Patent number: 11942869
    Abstract: A power module is applied to an electric power conversion device in which multiple upper-lower arm circuits are connected to an electric power line in parallel. The power module includes the multiple upper-lower arm circuits; a capacitor connected to each of the multiple upper-lower arm circuits in parallel; an upper wiring that connects an upper arm and a positive electrode terminal of the capacitor; a lower wiring that connects a lower arm and a negative electrode of the capacitor; an upper electric power wiring that is an electric power wiring connected to the electric power line and connects a high potential line of the electric power line and the upper wiring; and a lower electric power wiring that is an electric power wiring connected to the electric power line and connects a lower potential line of the electric power line and the lower wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohisa Sano, Ryota Tanabe, Yuta Hashimoto, Kazuma Fukushima, Mamoru Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20220418171
    Abstract: Disclosed is a cooling system for cooling an electric drive system. The electric drive system includes a motor and an inverter configured to drive the motor. The cooling system includes a first cooler, a second cooler, a circulating flow passage and a pump. The first cooler is configured to cool the motor by heat exchange using a coolant flowing through the first cooler. The second cooler is configured to cool the inverter by heat exchange using the coolant flowing through the second cooler. The circulating flow passage passes through both the first and second coolers, and the coolant circulates in the circulating flow passage. The pump is arranged in the circulating flow passage to pump the coolant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma FUKUSHIMA, Tomohisa SANO
  • Patent number: 11538794
    Abstract: A power converter includes: at least one pair of first and second semiconductor devices including multiple first and second semiconductor chips, having first and second switching elements providing upper and lower arms, and multiple first and second main terminals having at least one of multiple first and second high potential terminals and multiple first and second low potential terminals; and a bridging member providing an upper and lower coupling portion, together with the first low and second high potential terminals. The first and second semiconductor chips are arranged in line symmetry with respect to first and second axes and in line symmetry with the second axis as a symmetry axis to differentiate the arrangement of the second low potential terminal with respect to the second high potential terminal from the arrangement of the first low potential terminal with respect to the first high potential terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Matsuoka, Yuu Yamahira, Kazuma Fukushima, Noriyuki Kakimoto
  • Patent number: 11509234
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus has a positive electrode bus bar and a negative electrode bus bar. The power conversion apparatus has a first semiconductor module incorporating an upper-arm switching element and including a positive electrode terminal and a second semiconductor module incorporating a lower-arm switching element and including a negative electrode terminal. The first semiconductor module and the second semiconductor module are placed such that the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal face each other in a direction orthogonal to a protruding direction. The positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar respectively have coexisting parts placed together between the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal as seen in the protruding direction of power terminals. The coexisting parts are at least partially placed in a space between the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Matsuoka, Ryota Tanabe, Yuu Yamahira, Kazuma Fukushima, Kosuke Kamiya
  • Patent number: 11239224
    Abstract: A power conversion device provided with a switching circuit unit including a plurality of upper-arm switching elements connected to positive electrode wiring and a plurality of lower-arm switching elements connected to negative electrode wiring. The power conversion device includes a first semiconductor module incorporating a plurality of the upper-arm switching elements connected together in parallel, a second semiconductor module incorporating a plurality of the lower-arm switching elements connected together in parallel, and a third semiconductor module incorporating the upper-arm switching elements connected together in series and the lower-arm switching elements connected together in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma Fukushima, Yuu Yamahira, Ryota Tanabe, Tetsuya Matsuoka, Kosuke Kamiya, Taijiro Momose
  • Publication number: 20210143747
    Abstract: A power module is applied to an electric power conversion device in which multiple upper-lower arm circuits are connected to an electric power line in parallel. The power module includes the multiple upper-lower arm circuits; a capacitor connected to each of the multiple upper-lower arm circuits in parallel; an upper wiring that connects an upper arm and a positive electrode terminal of the capacitor; a lower wiring that connects a lower arm and a negative electrode of the capacitor; an upper electric power wiring that is an electric power wiring connected to the electric power line and connects a high potential line of the electric power line and the upper wiring; and a lower electric power wiring that is an electric power wiring connected to the electric power line and connects a lower potential line of the electric power line and the lower wiring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohisa SANO, Ryota TANABE, Yuta HASHIMOTO, Kazuma FUKUSHIMA, Mamoru KUWAHARA
  • Patent number: 10932397
    Abstract: In a power conversion device, each of semiconductor modules of a layered body includes a body portion incorporating a plurality of switching elements and a plurality of power terminals protruding therefrom. The semiconductor modules include upper-arm switching elements and lower-arm switching element that are alternately layered in a layering direction of the layered body. A capacitor is disposed on one side of the layered body and a current sensor is disposed on an opposite side of the layered body, in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to both a protruding direction of the power terminals and the layering direction. Each of the semiconductor modules includes, as the power terminals, two collector terminals connected to a collector electrode of the switching element and one emitter terminal connected to an emitter electrode of the switching element, and the emitter terminal is disposed between the two collector terminals in the orthogonal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuu Yamahira, Tetsuya Matsuoka, Kazuma Fukushima
  • Patent number: 10848078
    Abstract: In a power converter, a control circuit has a speed adjustment resistor that limits a control current to adjust a switching speed of each of first and second switching elements. The speed adjustment resistor has a resistance that varies depending on a voltage at the control electrode of each of the first and second switching elements. A feedback route connects between the control electrode of the first switching element and the control electrode of the second switching element. The feedback route has a resistance that is set to be lower than a value of the resistance of the speed adjustment resistor during a predetermined Miller period of each of the first and second switching elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuu Yamahira, Tetsuya Matsuoka, Kazuma Fukushima, Akifumi Araragi, Noriyuki Kakimoto, Masakiyo Sumitomo
  • Publication number: 20200321319
    Abstract: A power converter includes: at least one pair of first and second semiconductor devices including multiple first and second semiconductor chips, having first and second switching elements providing upper and lower arms, and multiple first and second main terminals having at least one of multiple first and second high potential terminals and multiple first and second low potential terminals; and a bridging member providing an upper and lower coupling portion, together with the first low and second high potential terminals. The first and second semiconductor chips are arranged in line symmetry with respect to first and second axes and in line symmetry with the second axis as a symmetry axis to differentiate the arrangement of the second low potential terminal with respect to the second high potential terminal from the arrangement of the first low potential terminal with respect to the first high potential terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya MATSUOKA, Yuu YAMAHIRA, Kazuma FUKUSHIMA, Noriyuki KAKIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20200176435
    Abstract: A power conversion device provided with a switching circuit unit including a plurality of upper-arm switching elements connected to positive electrode wiring and a plurality of lower-arm switching elements connected to negative electrode wiring. The power conversion device includes a first semiconductor module incorporating a plurality of the upper-arm switching elements connected together in parallel, a second semiconductor module incorporating a plurality of the lower-arm switching elements connected together in parallel, and a third semiconductor module incorporating the upper-arm switching elements connected together in series and the lower-arm switching elements connected together in series.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma FUKUSHIMA, Yuu YAMAHIRA, Ryota TANABE, Tetsuya MATSUOKA, Kosuke KAMIYA, Taijiro MOMOSE
  • Publication number: 20200177101
    Abstract: In a power conversion device, each of semiconductor modules of a layered body includes a body portion incorporating a plurality of switching elements and a plurality of power terminals protruding therefrom. The semiconductor modules include upper-arm switching elements and lower-arm switching element that are alternately layered in a layering direction of the layered body. A capacitor is disposed on one side of the layered body and a current sensor is disposed on an opposite side of the layered body, in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to both a protruding direction of the power terminals and the layering direction. Each of the semiconductor modules includes, as the power terminals, two collector terminals connected to a collector electrode of the switching element and one emitter terminal connected to an emitter electrode of the switching element, and the emitter terminal is disposed between the two collector terminals in the orthogonal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuu YAMAHIRA, Tetsuya MATSUOKA, Kazuma FUKUSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20200177093
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus has a positive electrode bus bar and a negative electrode bus bar. The power conversion apparatus has a first semiconductor module incorporating an upper-arm switching element and including a positive electrode terminal and a second semiconductor module incorporating a lower-arm switching element and including a negative electrode terminal. The first semiconductor module and the second semiconductor module are placed such that the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal face each other in a direction orthogonal to a protruding direction. The positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar respectively have coexisting parts placed together between the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal as seen in the protruding direction of power terminals. The coexisting parts are at least partially placed in a space between the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya MATSUOKA, Ryota TANABE, Yuu YAMAHIRA, Kazuma FUKUSHIMA, Kosuke KAMIYA
  • Publication number: 20200036297
    Abstract: In a power converter, a control circuit has a speed adjustment resistor that limits a control current to adjust a switching speed of each of first and second switching elements. The speed adjustment resistor has a resistance that varies depending on a voltage at the control electrode of each of the first and second switching elements. A feedback route connects between the control electrode of the first switching element and the control electrode of the second switching element. The feedback route has a resistance that is set to be lower than a value of the resistance of the speed adjustment resistor during a predetermined Miller period of each of the first and second switching elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuu YAMAHIRA, Tetsuya MATSUOKA, Kazuma FUKUSHIMA, Akifumi ARARAGI, Noriyuki KAKIMOTO, Masakiyo SUMITOMO
  • Patent number: 10454386
    Abstract: A plurality of semiconductor elements and a control circuit unit are provided. The plurality of semiconductor elements which are connected in parallel are configured to perform switching at the same time. The control circuit unit includes a drive circuit connected to the plurality of semiconductor elements which perform operation at the same time, control wirings and reference wirings. The control wirings connect control electrodes of the semiconductor elements to the drive circuit. The reference wirings connect reference electrodes of the semiconductor elements to the drive circuit. A parasitic inductance in the reference wiring is made smaller than a parasitic inductance in the control wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoya Miura, Yuu Yamahira, Kazuma Fukushima
  • Patent number: 10424570
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus performs power conversion. The power conversion apparatus includes a semiconductor module and a cooler. The semiconductor module includes an insulated-gate bipolar transistor, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, and a lead frame. The insulated-gate bipolar transistor and the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor are connected in parallel to each other and provided on the same lead frame. The cooler has a coolant flow passage. The coolant flow passage extends such that the coolant flow passage and the lead frame of the semiconductor module are opposed to each other. The semiconductor module is configured such that the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor is not disposed further downstream than the insulated-gate bipolar transistor in a flow direction of a coolant in the coolant flow passage of the cooler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsunori Kimura, Hiroshi Shimizu, Kengo Mochiki, Yasuyuki Ohkouchi, Yuu Yamahira, Tetsuya Matsuoka, Kazuma Fukushima
  • Patent number: 10396651
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes a semiconductor module including a semiconductor device and a control circuit unit controlling the semiconductor module. The semiconductor module has main and subsidiary semiconductor devices connected in parallel. The control circuit unit performs control such that the subsidiary semiconductor device is turned on after the main semiconductor device is turned on, and the main semiconductor device is turned off after the subsidiary semiconductor device is turned off. The control circuit unit performs control such that, one of the turn-on and turn-off switching timings has a switching speed faster than that of the other of the switching timings. The semiconductor module is configured such that, at a high-speed switching timing, an induction current directed to turn off the subsidiary semiconductor device is generated in a control terminal of the subsidiary semiconductor device depending on temporal change of a main current flowing to the main semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo Mochiki, Mitsunori Kimura, Hiroshi Shimizu, Yasuyuki Ohkouchi, Yuu Yamahira, Tetsuya Matsuoka, Kazuma Fukushima
  • Publication number: 20190123657
    Abstract: A plurality of semiconductor elements and a control circuit unit are provided. The plurality of semiconductor elements which are connected in parallel are configured to perform switching at the same time. The control circuit unit includes a drive circuit connected to the plurality of semiconductor elements which perform operation at the same time, control wirings and reference wirings. The control wirings connect control electrodes of the semiconductor elements to the drive circuit. The reference wirings connect reference electrodes of the semiconductor elements to the drive circuit. A parasitic inductance in the reference wiring is made smaller than a parasitic inductance in the control wiring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoya MIURA, Yuu YAMAHIRA, Kazuma FUKUSHIMA
  • Patent number: 10135437
    Abstract: Parallely connected first and second switches respectively have first and second on resistances. The second on resistance is higher than the first on resistance in a lower range of current, and lower than the first on resistance in a higher range of current. A current obtaining unit obtains a current parameter indicative of an input current flowing through both the first and second switches. A low-current control unit controls, based on the obtained current parameter, switching operations of the first and second switches to correspondingly increase the number of times of turn-on of the first switch relative to the number of times of turn-on of the second switch, and prevent simultaneous turn-on of the first and second switches while a value of the input current is located within a predetermined low-level current region, the low-level current region being lower than the threshold current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shimizu, Kazuma Fukushima