Patents by Inventor Kazuya Kodama

Kazuya Kodama 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: 11380941
    Abstract: A battery information processing system includes a control device configured to perform capacity calculation processing. The capacity calculation processing is processing for calculating a full charge capacity Q of the module based on a fitting curve Z calculated by fitting processing of a Nyquist plot representing a result of measurement of an AC impedance of the module. In an OCV-SOC curve of the module, there are a flat region in which a ratio of variation is lower than a reference value and a steep region in which the ratio of variation is higher than the reference value. The control device estimates an OCV of the module from a result of detection by a voltage sensor and performs the capacity calculation processing when the estimated OCV is in the flat region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuya Kodama
  • Patent number: 11215671
    Abstract: A battery information processing system includes a storage device configured to store an equivalent circuit model which expresses an AC impedance of a battery module with a plurality of circuit constants. The plurality of circuit constants include first to eighth circuit constants. The first circuit constant is a junction inductance. The second circuit constant is a junction resistance. The third circuit constant is a solution resistance and the fourth circuit constant is a charge transfer resistance. The fifth circuit constant is a CPE index of a diffusion resistance. The sixth circuit constant is a CPE constant of the diffusion resistance. The seventh circuit constant is a CPE index of an electric double layer capacitance. The eighth circuit constant is a CPE constant of the electric double layer capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya Kodama, Masahiko Mitsui
  • Patent number: 11175344
    Abstract: A battery information processing system includes a storage device configured to store an equivalent circuit model which expresses an AC impedance of a battery module with a plurality of circuit constants. The plurality of circuit constants include first to eighth circuit constants. The first circuit constant is a junction inductance. The second circuit constant is a junction resistance. The third circuit constant is a solution resistance and the fourth circuit constant is a charge transfer resistance. The fifth circuit constant is a CPE index of a diffusion resistance. The sixth circuit constant is a CPE constant of the diffusion resistance. The seventh circuit constant is a CPE index of an electric double layer capacitance. The eighth circuit constant is a CPE constant of the electric double layer capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya Kodama, Masahiko Mitsui
  • Patent number: 10976374
    Abstract: A battery information processing system includes an analyzer configured to analyze a result of measurement of an AC impedance of a module M. The analyzer plots the result of measurement of the AC impedance on a first frequency characteristic diagram which is a Bode diagram (a first diagram) relating to a real number component of the AC impedance and on a second frequency characteristic diagram which is a Bode diagram (a second diagram) relating to an imaginary number component of the AC impedance, obtains a polynomial curve L1 by fitting processing onto a result of plotting on the first diagram and obtains a polynomial curve L2 by fitting processing onto a result of plotting on the second diagram, and converts the polynomial curves L1 and L2 into an impedance curve Z on a Nyquist diagram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuya Kodama
  • Patent number: 10923781
    Abstract: A recovering device includes a charging chamber configured to overcharge a nickel-metal hydride battery. The charging chamber is provided with: a first water bath; a fixing device configured to fix the nickel-metal hydride battery with a portion of a container of the nickel-metal hydride battery being immersed in the water coolant in the first water bath; a pump; a dial gauge configured to detect a deformation amount of the container of the nickel-metal hydride battery; and a collection container configured to collect the gas exhausted from the exhaust valve of the nickel-metal hydride battery and exhaust the gas to outside the recovering device. The recovering device further includes a controller configured to perform the overcharging process for the nickel-metal hydride battery. The controller is configured to halt the overcharging process when the deformation amount of the container exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Mitsui, Junta Izumi, Kazuya Kodama, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 10608627
    Abstract: An apparatus for driving an inductive load, includes a switching element provided in a current flowing path of the inductive load, a diode connected to the inductive load in parallel, a current detecting resistor detecting current flowing through the inductive load, a peak hold circuit holding voltage detected by the current detecting resistor when the switching element is on, when the switching element is off, and a control section controlling current flowing through the inductive load by turning on/off of the switching element at a duty ratio in response to a target current value while the control section performs feedback control of output of the peak hold circuit. The control section controls current that flows through the inductive load when the duty ratio is larger than a threshold value and controls voltage that applies to the inductive load when the duty ratio is smaller than the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventor: Kazuya Kodama
  • Patent number: 10605871
    Abstract: A method for determining a state of a rechargeable battery includes obtaining a complex impedance measured by applying AC voltage or AC current to a rechargeable battery that is subject to determination and determining a state of the rechargeable battery based on the obtained complex impedance. The determining a state of the rechargeable battery includes determining whether or not a first capacity shift is occurring based on a comparison of a value of the complex impedance at a predetermined frequency with a first determination value used to determine a negative electrode capacity shift, and when determined that the first capacity shift is not occurring, determining whether or not a second capacity shift is occurring based on a comparison of a gradient of the complex impedance with respect to a real axis in a diffusion resistance region with a second determination value used to determine a positive electrode capacity shift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignees: PRIMEARTH EV ENERGY CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Matsuno, Shinichiro Ito, Yasushi Nakagiri, Daisuke Koba, Tamotsu Fukuma, Junta Izumi, Kazuya Kodama, Masahiko Mitsui
  • Patent number: 10466306
    Abstract: (A) A used battery pack is prepared. (B) By disassembling the used battery pack, a cell etc. is collected from the used battery pack. The cell etc. are a nickel-metal hydride battery. (C) A state of charge of the collected cell etc. is adjusted to a state of charge within any of a first SOC range (0 to 3%), a second SOC range (3 to 20%), and a third SOC range (100 to 200%). (G) An amount of voltage lowering as a result of the cell etc. being left is calculated. (H) When the amount of voltage lowering is equal to or smaller than a reference value set in advance, the cell etc. is determined as a good product. (I) A battery pack including the cell etc. determined as the good product is manufactured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya Kodama, Masahiko Mitsui, Junta Izumi
  • Publication number: 20190334213
    Abstract: A battery information processing system includes a control device configured to perform capacity calculation processing. The capacity calculation processing is processing for calculating a full charge capacity Q of the module based on a fitting curve Z calculated by fitting processing of a Nyquist plot representing a result of measurement of an AC impedance of the module. In an OCV-SOC curve of the module, there are a flat region in which a ratio of variation is lower than a reference value and a steep region in which the ratio of variation is higher than the reference value. The control device estimates an OCV of the module from a result of detection by a voltage sensor and performs the capacity calculation processing when the estimated OCV is in the flat region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuya KODAMA
  • Publication number: 20190331737
    Abstract: A battery information processing system includes a storage device configured to store an equivalent circuit model which expresses an AC impedance of a battery module with a plurality of circuit constants. The plurality of circuit constants include first to eighth circuit constants. The first circuit constant is a junction inductance. The second circuit constant is a junction resistance. The third circuit constant is a solution resistance and the fourth circuit constant is a charge transfer resistance. The fifth circuit constant is a CPE index of a diffusion resistance. The sixth circuit constant is a CPE constant of the diffusion resistance. The seventh circuit constant is a CPE index of an electric double layer capacitance. The eighth circuit constant is a CPE constant of the electric double layer capacitance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya KODAMA, Masahiko Mitsui
  • Publication number: 20190331738
    Abstract: A battery information processing system includes an analyzer configured to analyze a result of measurement of an AC impedance of a module M. The analyzer plots the result of measurement of the AC impedance on a first frequency characteristic diagram which is a Bode diagram (a first diagram) relating to a real number component of the AC impedance and on a second frequency characteristic diagram which is a Bode diagram (a second diagram) relating to an imaginary number component of the AC impedance, obtains a polynomial curve L1 by fitting processing onto a result of plotting on the first diagram and obtains a polynomial curve L2 by fitting processing onto a result of plotting on the second diagram, and converts the polynomial curves L1 and L2 into an impedance curve Z on a Nyquist diagram.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuya KODAMA
  • Patent number: 10419698
    Abstract: An image processing method, includes: an input step in which a computer acquires data of a plurality of input images acquired by imaging performed using a same image sensor; and an optimization process step in which a computer determines an optimal solution of brightness change with respect to each input image by performing iterative calculations using an iterative method to improve overall image quality of the plurality of input images. In the optimization process step, an optimal solution of brightness change for each pixel of each input image is determined under a condition that common brightness change is performed with respect to pixels at a same position in respective input images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomochika Murakami, Kazuya Kodama
  • Patent number: 10417746
    Abstract: An image processing method includes the steps of: generating, based on data of a plurality of images acquired by performing imaging using a same image sensor, a weight coefficient corresponding to each image so that a weight coefficient corresponding to an image of which a brightness change is smooth is relatively large; integrating the data of the plurality of images using the weight coefficients to generate data of an integrated image; applying smoothing to the data of the integrated image to generate data of a smoothed integrated image; and generating, based on the data of the integrated image and the data of the smoothed integrated image, data of estimated fixed-pattern noise which is an estimated value of fixed-pattern noise attributable to the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomochika Murakami, Kazuya Kodama
  • Publication number: 20190198949
    Abstract: A recovering device includes a charging chamber configured to overcharge a nickel-metal hydride battery. The charging chamber is provided with: a first water bath; a fixing device configured to fix the nickel-metal hydride battery with a portion of a container of the nickel-metal hydride battery being immersed in the water coolant in the first water bath; a pump; a dial gauge configured to detect a deformation amount of the container of the nickel-metal hydride battery; and a collection container configured to collect the gas exhausted from the exhaust valve of the nickel-metal hydride battery and exhaust the gas to outside the recovering device. The recovering device further includes a controller configured to perform the overcharging process for the nickel-metal hydride battery. The controller is configured to halt the overcharging process when the deformation amount of the container exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Masahiko Mitsui, Junta Izumi, Kazuya Kodama, Kenji Kimura
  • Publication number: 20190165777
    Abstract: An apparatus for driving an inductive load, includes a switching element provided in a current flowing path of the inductive load, a diode connected to the inductive load in parallel, a current detecting resistor detecting current flowing through the inductive load, a peak hold circuit holding voltage detected by the current detecting resistor when the switching element is on, when the switching element is off, and a control section controlling current flowing through the inductive load by turning on/off of the switching element at a duty ratio in response to a target current value while the control section performs feedback control of output of the peak hold circuit. The control section controls current that flows through the inductive load when the duty ratio is larger than a threshold value and controls voltage that applies to the inductive load when the duty ratio is smaller than the threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventor: Kazuya KODAMA
  • Publication number: 20190079140
    Abstract: A method for determining a state of a rechargeable battery includes obtaining a complex impedance measured by applying AC voltage or AC current to a rechargeable battery that is subject to determination and determining a state of the rechargeable battery based on the obtained complex impedance. The determining a state of the rechargeable battery includes determining whether or not a first capacity shift is occurring based on a comparison of a value of the complex impedance at a predetermined frequency with a first determination value used to determine a negative electrode capacity shift, and when determined that the first capacity shift is not occurring, determining whether or not a second capacity shift is occurring based on a comparison of a gradient of the complex impedance with respect to a real axis in a diffusion resistance region with a second determination value used to determine a positive electrode capacity shift.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Applicants: PRIMEARTH EV ENERGY CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi MATSUNO, Shinichiro ITO, Yasushi NAKAGIRI, Daisuke KOBA, Tamotsu FUKUMA, Junta IZUMI, Kazuya KODAMA, Masahiko MITSUI
  • Patent number: 10129466
    Abstract: An image generating apparatus includes: an input unit that inputs data on a defocused image group; a storage unit that stores data on a plurality of filters generated based on a three-dimensional blur function; and a computing unit that generates a new image by applying the filter to the defocused image group. When a first element of a first filter out of the plurality of filters is symmetrical or anti-symmetrical with a second element included in the first filter or a second filter, which is different from the first filter, the storage unit does not store the data on the first element, and the computing unit generates the data on the first element of the first filter based on data on the second element which is stored in the storage unit when the first filter is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanori Sato, Kazuya Kodama
  • Patent number: 9963483
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a process capable of producing a self-assembling peptide derivative that is useful in the fields of regenerative medicine and surgery in large quantities and in an economical and efficient manner. In particular, provided is a production process employing a combination of (i) a step of convergently constructing a sequence with use of a common repeating unit consisting of a specific amino acid sequence and (ii) a step of first isolating the peptide derivative as a disulfuric acid salt, a tetramethanesulfonic acid salt or a tetra(trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) salt), and then subjecting the peptide salt to a salt exchange reaction to yield a tetrahydrochloric acid salt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: MENICON CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hidenori Yokoi, Yasuhiro Yokoyama, Keisuke Matsuyama, Kenichiro Yamamoto, Kinsei Anzai, Daisuke Nakamura, Toyohiro Nagano, Kazuya Kodama
  • Publication number: 20180045785
    Abstract: (A) A used battery pack is prepared. (B) By disassembling the used battery pack, a cell etc. is collected from the used battery pack. The cell etc. are a nickel-metal hydride battery. (C) A state of charge of the collected cell etc. is adjusted to a state of charge within any of a first SOC range (0 to 3%), a second SOC range (3 to 20%), and a third SOC range (100 to 200%). (G) An amount of voltage lowering as a result of the cell etc. being left is calculated. (H) When the amount of voltage lowering is equal to or smaller than a reference value set in advance, the cell etc. is determined as a good product. (I) A battery pack including the cell etc. determined as the good product is manufactured.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya KODAMA, Masahiko MITSUI, Junta IZUMI
  • Publication number: 20170154409
    Abstract: An image processing method includes the steps of: generating, based on data of a plurality of images acquired by performing imaging using a same image sensor, a weight coefficient corresponding to each image so that a weight coefficient corresponding to an image of which a brightness change is smooth is relatively large; integrating the data of the plurality of images using the weight coefficients to generate data of an integrated image; applying smoothing to the data of the integrated image to generate data of a smoothed integrated image; and generating, based on the data of the integrated image and the data of the smoothed integrated image, data of estimated fixed-pattern noise which is an estimated value of fixed-pattern noise attributable to the image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Tomochika Murakami, Kazuya Kodama