Patents by Inventor Kazunori Shibata

Kazunori Shibata 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: 8831144
    Abstract: In an FSK receiver according to the present invention, a correction operation for a DC offset component is performed based on a maximum value and a minimum value of a demodulation signal. If a difference between the maximum and minimum values is less than a predetermined threshold value TH1, the correction operation is halted. Thus, the FSK receiver can rapidly perform an appropriate offset removal from a multi-level FSK signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Icom Incorporated
    Inventor: Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20130321124
    Abstract: By a user selecting a name of a device displayed in association with identification information identical to the identification information notified at an icon of an under-control device at a table of a control device, an under-control device subject to control by the control device can be selected while reliably identifying an under-control device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazunori Shibata, Akira Tojima
  • Patent number: 8557465
    Abstract: A fuel cell includes: a first discharge mechanism that connects an inlet of a discharge flow path directly to a porous body so as to cause liquid in the porous body and liquid in the discharge flow path to be continuous, thereby discharging the liquid in preference to the offgas; and a second discharge mechanism that connects an inlet of a discharge flow path to the porous body via a hollow portion of a predetermined size to prevent liquid in the porous body and liquid in the discharge flow path from becoming continuous, thereby discharging the offgas in preference to the liquid. The fuel cell is easy-to-manufacture with long-lasting effectiveness, and is capable of separating and discharging offgas and liquid in a porous body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20130095404
    Abstract: The fuel cell system of the present invention supplies oxidant gas to a fuel cell during periods where generation of electrical power by the fuel cell is stopped. As a result, an amount of oxidant gas that is just sufficient to continue a reaction with remaining fuel gas is continued even when generation of electrical power itself is stopped. It is therefore possible to protect electrolyte membranes from damage occurring as a result of oxygen deficiency. Further, in addition to intermittent operation, the fuel cell system of the present invention is also applicable to steps for the stopping of generation of electrical power by a fuel cell in accordance with other conditions or at the time of the complete stopping of operation of the fuel cell system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Inventors: Kazunori SHIBATA, Masaaki KONDO
  • Publication number: 20130089798
    Abstract: A fuel cell system 10 removes water retaining in a cathode catalyst layer 217 in a fuel cell 20, after a start-up of the fuel cell 20 and before feed of coolant to the fuel cell 20.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sho Usami, Yasushi Araki, Kazunori Shibata, Shuya Kawahara, Tomohiro Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8385495
    Abstract: A frame sync detecting circuit and FSK receiver sequentially derive a moving average value (?) from oversample values of a received word pattern, for given symbol periods, and a difference between the moving average value and an average value for the given symbol periods in a given sync word pattern is determined as DC offsets ?f. Subsequently, the DC offset ?f is subtracted from the received word pattern, and correlation processing with respect to the sync word pattern is performed to determine a correlation value (?). If the correlation value exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that a sync word candidate has been received, and symbol values of the received word pattern after the DC offset correction are compared with respective symbol values of the sync word pattern. A sync word pattern detection is determined if errors in the symbols are within a given range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: ICOM Incorporated
    Inventor: Kazunori Shibata
  • Patent number: 8361666
    Abstract: Variation of the amount of power to be produced by a fuel cell unit is limited in accordance with a relationship between an output voltage of the full cell unit and an oxidization-reduction potential of catalyst of a fuel cell of the fuel cell unit. The amount of power to be used to charge or discharged from a battery is then corrected according to the limited variation of the amount of power to be produced by the fuel cell unit 40, so as to meet the required system power output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Hibino, Kazunori Shibata
  • Patent number: 8331515
    Abstract: Provided are a clock regeneration circuit and a receiver, wherein difference values (V1, V2, V3) from an ideal value can be obtained for respective three sample data (T1, T2, T3) which are obtained by oversampling a 4-level FSK demodulated signal at a higher frequency than that of a symbol clock and in which sample data (T2) at a symbol point (P) is included at a median, and a sampling timing of the symbol point (P) is shifted toward a point where the sample data (T3) having a smaller difference value is obtained, by a time corresponding to the difference value (V2) at the symbol point. Thus, the clock regeneration circuit and the receiver are capable of regenerating a stable clock from multi-level modulated waves in a small calculation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Icom Incorporated
    Inventor: Kazunori Shibata
  • Patent number: 8318380
    Abstract: A fuel cell has: an electrolyte; an anode provided on one side of the electrolyte and having a fuel-gas consuming face at which fuel gas is consumed; a cathode provided on the other side of the electrolyte and having an oxidizing-gas consuming face at which oxidizing gas is consumed; and a fuel-gas passage portion forming a passage through which fuel gas is supplied to predetermined regions of the fuel-gas consuming face of the anode. The fuel cell has an operation mode in which almost the entire amount of the supplied fuel gas is consumed at the fuel-gas consuming face of the anode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ogawa, Masaaki Kondo, Kazunori Shibata, Takashi Kajiwara, Tsutomu Shirakawa, Satoshi Futami
  • Patent number: 8227130
    Abstract: A fuel cell (100) has an electrical generation section (24) including an anode, an electrolyte, and a cathode; a porous-body flow passage (50, 60) disposed on at least one side of the anode side of the electrical generation section and the cathode side thereof; and a separator (10) disposed on the opposite side of the porous-body flow passage from the electrical generation section; wherein the porous-body flow passage includes a high porosity location (51, 61) having a higher porosity than an average porosity thereof and a low porosity location having a lower porosity than the average porosity thereof, wherein the high porosity location communicates with a gas discharging-side manifold (41b, 42b) via the low porosity location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunori Shibata
  • Patent number: 8142952
    Abstract: A fuel cell battery (2) has a structure in which a plurality of cells are stacked and in-series connected. The cells include a cell (15), and one or more cells (16) of a cell stack (11). Hydrogen that has entered the fuel cell battery (2) from a channel (12) is supplied to each cell through a supply manifold (13). After the amount of hydrogen needed for power generation is consumed, gas is discharged as a fuel off-gas into a discharge manifold (14), and then flows into the cell (15). This prevents impurities contained in the fuel off-gas from being accumulated in the cells (16), and causes the impurities to be accumulated in the cell (15). Thus, variations in the amount of power generation among the cells can be restrained in a fuel cell battery system that employs a dead-end method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ogawa, Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20110110465
    Abstract: In an FSK receiver according to the present invention, a correction operation for a DC offset component is performed based on a maximum value and a minimum value of a demodulation signal. If a difference between the maximum and minimum values is less than a predetermined threshold value TH1, the correction operation is halted. Thus, the FSK receiver can rapidly perform an appropriate offset removal from a multi-level FSK signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: ICOM INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20110097638
    Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; a first reactive gas channel that is provided on a first surface side of the electrolyte membrane; a second reactive gas channel that is provided on a second surface side of the electrolyte membrane; and a coolant channel. The coolant channel is configured such that a flow direction of the first reactive gas flowing in the first reactive gas channel is opposite to a flow direction of the second reactive gas flowing in the second reactive gas channel, and a downstream portion of the flow of at least one of the first and second reactive gases, in a plane of the electrolyte membrane, is cooled from the central portion within the plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sogo Goto, Satoshi Futami, Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20110051855
    Abstract: A frame sync detecting circuit and FSK receiver sequentially derive a moving average value (?) from oversample values of a received word pattern, for given symbol periods, and a difference between the moving average value and an average value for the given symbol periods in a given sync word pattern is determined as DC offsets ?f. Subsequently, the DC offset ?f is subtracted from the received word pattern, and correlation processing with respect to the sync word pattern is performed to determine a correlation value (?). If the correlation value exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that a sync word candidate has been received, and symbol values of the received word pattern after the DC offset correction are compared with respective symbol values of the sync word pattern. A sync word pattern detection is determined if errors in the symbols are within a given range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: ICOM INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20110019788
    Abstract: Provided are a clock regeneration circuit and a receiver, wherein difference values (V1, V2, V3) from an ideal value can be obtained for respective three sample data (T1, T2, T3) which are obtained by oversampling a 4-level FSK demodulated signal at a higher frequency than that of a symbol clock and in which sample data (T2) at a symbol point (P) is included at a median, and a sampling timing of the symbol point (P) is shifted toward a point where the sample data (T3) having a smaller difference value is obtained, by a time corresponding to the difference value (V2) at the symbol point. Thus, the clock regeneration circuit and the receiver are capable of regenerating a stable clock from multi-level modulated waves in a small calculation amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: ICOM INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20100323270
    Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an anode-forming layer that is provided on an outer side of one surface of an electrolyte membrane and that includes an anode; a cathode provided on an outer side of another surface of the electrolyte membrane; a partition wall portion that is formed in the anode-forming layer in the thickness direction thereof, and that divides at least a surface of the anode-forming layer remote from the electrolyte membrane into blocks, and that restrains movement of a gas between adjacent blocks; and a gas introduction portion which has a gas passage portion that allows the fuel gas to pass through and which introduces the fuel gas, via the gas passage portion, into the blocks divided by the partition wall portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Inventors: Kazunori Shibata, Masaaki Kondo, Tomohiro Ogawa, Sogo Goto, Takashi Kajiwara, Tsutomu Shirakawa, Yuichi Yagami
  • Publication number: 20100183944
    Abstract: The invention provides a fuel cell, which includes: an electrolyte; an anode that is placed on one side of the electrolyte and has a fuel gas consumption surface on which fuel gas is consumed; a cathode that is placed on the other side of the electrolyte; and a fuel gas passage having a first passaged for distributing fuel gas to previously set regions on the fuel gas supply surface, a second passage for supplying the distributed fuel gas to the regions, and a fuel gas supply portion for supplying fuel gas from the first passage to the second passage. The fuel cell consumes most of the supplied fuel gas in the regions on the fuel gas consumption surface. A fuel gas passage has a fuel gas leakage suppression portion for suppressing leakage of fuel gas between the first passage and the second passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ogawa, Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20100173219
    Abstract: A fuel cell battery (2) has a structure in which a plurality of cells are stacked and in-series connected. The cells include a cell (15), and one or more cells (16) of a cell stack (11). Hydrogen that has entered the fuel cell battery (2) from a channel (12) is supplied to each cell through a supply manifold (13). After the amount of hydrogen needed for power generation is consumed, gas is discharged as a fuel off-gas into a discharge manifold (14), and then flows into the cell (15). This prevents impurities contained in the fuel off-gas from being accumulated in the cells (16), and causes the impurities to be accumulated in the cell (15). Thus, variations in the amount of power generation among the cells can be restrained in a fuel cell battery system that employs a dead-end method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Publication date: July 8, 2010
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ogawa, Kazunori Shibata
  • Publication number: 20100104912
    Abstract: A fuel cell has: an electrolyte; an anode provided on one side of the electrolyte and having a fuel-gas consuming face at which fuel gas is consumed; a cathode provided on the other side of the electrolyte and having an oxidizing-gas consuming face at which oxidizing gas is consumed; and a fuel-gas passage portion forming a passage through which fuel gas is supplied to predetermined regions of the fuel-gas consuming face of the anode. The fuel cell has an operation mode in which almost the entire amount of the supplied fuel gas is consumed at the fuel-gas consuming face of the anode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Ogawa, Masaaki Kondo, Kazunori Shibata, Takashi Kajiwara, Tsutomu Shirakawa, Satoshi Futami
  • Publication number: 20100035121
    Abstract: This separator is equipped with a first plate 33 and a second plate 32. The first plate 33 has a first hole 3341 through which reaction gas flows. The second plate 32 is to be stacked with the first plate 33, and has a second hole 3241 through which the reaction gas flows. The second hole 3241 overlaps with the first hole 3341 at the first part 3231, and is in fluid communication with the first hole 3341. The second plate 32 has a partition part 323 that divides the part 3247 of the second part which does not overlap the first hole 3341 among the second holes 3241 into a plurality of flow path parts 56. The separator 30 is further equipped with an oscillating portion 325. The oscillating portion 325 is connected to the partition part 323. The oscillating portion 325 is arranged at a position such that part of the oscillating portion 325 overlaps with the first hole 3341 of the first plate 33. The oscillating portion 325 is provided so as to be shaken by the reaction gas that flows inside the first hole 3341.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Inventors: Kazunori Shibata, Masaaki Kondo, Syo Usami