Patents by Inventor Kazuyuki Hirota
Kazuyuki Hirota 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).
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Patent number: 9688130Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle capable of preventing illegally access by using a tool to a piping fitting connecting fuel piping and a valve module to each other without increasing the number of components. The fuel cell vehicle includes an electric motor, a fuel cell supported by a frame to supply electric power to the electric motor, a fuel tank supported by the frame to store fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell, a valve module disposed below a cross member and behind the fuel tank, and a piping fitting connecting fuel piping to the valve module. The valve module includes a cut-out stepped portion provided in a side-face side of an upper portion of the valve module. The piping fitting is attached to the cut-out side face, the piping fitting being disposed between the cross member and the cut-out top face in a vehicle vertical direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2016Date of Patent: June 27, 2017Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuyuki Hirota, Akihiro Fukunaga, Toru Eguchi
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Publication number: 20170113532Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle capable of preventing illegally access by using a tool to a piping fitting connecting fuel piping and a valve module to each other without increasing the number of components. The fuel cell vehicle includes an electric motor, a fuel cell supported by a frame to supply electric power to the electric motor, a fuel tank supported by the frame to store fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell, a valve module disposed below a cross member and behind the fuel tank, and a piping fitting connecting fuel piping to the valve module. The valve module includes a cut-out stepped portion provided in a side-face side of an upper portion of the valve module. The piping fitting is attached to the cut-out side face, the piping fitting being disposed between the cross member and the cut-out top face in a vehicle vertical direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2016Publication date: April 27, 2017Inventors: Kazuyuki HIROTA, Akihiro FUKUNAGA, Toru EGUCHI
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Patent number: 9592877Abstract: There is provided a saddle-ridden type fuel cell vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle includes: a body frame; a steerable wheel; a driving wheel; a motor; a fuel cell; a fuel tank; and a tank valve. The body frame includes: a head pipe; a down frame portion; a pair of upper main frame portions; a pair of lower main frame portions; and up frame portions. A tank placement portion is formed in a region encircled by the upper main frame portions and the lower main frame portions in the middle portion of the body frame in the front and rear direction. The fuel tank is placed on the tank placement portion so that an axis thereof extends in the front and rear direction. A guard frame is installed between the up frame portions to traverse the rear of the tank valve in a right and left direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2016Date of Patent: March 14, 2017Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Shinichiro Takada, Toru Eguchi, Kazuyuki Hirota
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Publication number: 20160280305Abstract: There is provided a saddle-ridden type fuel cell vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle includes: a body frame; a steerable wheel; a driving wheel; a motor; a fuel cell; a fuel tank; and a tank valve. The body frame includes: a head pipe; a down frame portion; a pair of upper main frame portions; a pair of lower main frame portions; and up frame portions. A tank placement portion is formed in a region encircled by the upper main frame portions and the lower main frame portions in the middle portion of the body frame in the front and rear direction. The fuel tank is placed on the tank placement portion so that an axis thereof extends in the front and rear direction. A guard frame is installed between the up frame portions to traverse the rear of the tank valve in a right and left direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2016Publication date: September 29, 2016Applicant: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Shinichiro TAKADA, Toru EGUCHI, Kazuyuki HIROTA
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Publication number: 20160079618Abstract: There are provided a hydrogen tank for compressed storage of hydrogen gas, as fuel gas, at high pressures; a fuel cell stack for generating and supplying power using the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank; a hydrogen supply path interconnecting the hydrogen tank and the fuel cell stack; a shutoff valve for allowing supply of the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank by opening or closing the hydrogen supply path; a fuel supply valve, situated downstream of the shutoff valve, with respect to a supply direction of oxygen gas, for allowing supply of hydrogen gas to fuel cell stack; and an ECU for controllably causing the fuel supply valve to assume its closed state and the shutoff valve to assume its opened state during filling the hydrogen tank with hydrogen gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 15, 2015Publication date: March 17, 2016Applicant: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Akihiro FUKUNAGA, Kazuyuki HIROTA, Toru EGUCHI, Shinichiro TAKADA
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Patent number: 8622163Abstract: A scooter-type motorcycle is provided with a fuel cell system for driving the motorcycle by an electric power and includes: a vehicle body including a pair of left and right upper frames extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and a pair of left and right lower frames extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and having rear side end portions bent and connected to the respective upper frames; a fuel cell mounted on the vehicle body; a fuel tank connected to the fuel cell, in which the fuel tank is disposed in a center tunnel surrounded by the upper frames and the lower frames. A pair of left and right upper frames and a pair of left and right lower frames constitute a fuel tank supporting structure.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2010Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: Suzuki Motor CorporationInventors: Toru Eguchi, Kazuyuki Hirota
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Publication number: 20130330645Abstract: There is provided a vehicular fuel cell system. A fuel gas supply path is configured to supply fuel gas from a fuel gas container to a fuel cell stack. A primary decompression valve is disposed on the fuel gas supply path. A secondary decompression valve is disposed on the fuel gas supply path at a downstream side of the primary decompression valve. The secondary decompression valve is fixed to the fuel cell stack.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2013Publication date: December 12, 2013Inventors: Kazuyuki HIROTA, Shinichiro TAKADA, Naoki OZAWA
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Publication number: 20130149624Abstract: An air-intake apparatus for an air-cooled fuel cell according to this invention is provided with outside air temperature-detecting means; an outside air flow passage; an outside air flow rate-regulating valve; inside air temperature-detecting means; an inside air flow passage; an inside air flow rate-regulating valve; an air-conditioning air passage; an air-conditioning air flow rate-regulating valve; and air-intake control means for driving and controlling the outside air flow rate-regulating valve, the inside air flow rate-regulating valve, and the air-conditioning air flow rate-regulating valve on the basis of respective temperatures detected by the outside air temperature-detecting means and the inside air temperature-detecting means, wherein this air-intake control means generates a gas having a temperature optimized by making the gas pass through one or more of these flow passages and regulating valves, and supplies this gas to the fuel cell main unit as an oxidizing gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2011Publication date: June 13, 2013Applicant: Suzuki Motor CorporationInventors: Yohei Takada, Kengo Ikeya, Yoshimasa Matsumoto, Kazuyuki Hirota
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Patent number: 8377608Abstract: A fuel filling port is inclined at a predetermined angle in a vertical direction such that a filling nozzle is inserted slantwise from above when a body is supported in an upright posture by a center stand to prevent a motorcycle from falling over even if a filling nozzle is pressingly inserted into the fuel filling port.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 2010Date of Patent: February 19, 2013Assignee: Suzuki Motor CorporationInventors: Tohru Eguchi, Kazuyuki Hirota
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Publication number: 20100294582Abstract: A scooter-type motorcycle is provided with a fuel cell system for driving the motorcycle by an electric power and includes: a vehicle body including a pair of left and right upper frames extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and a pair of left and right lower frames extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and having rear side end portions bent and connected to the respective upper frames; a fuel cell mounted on the vehicle body; a fuel tank connected to the fuel cell, in which the fuel tank is disposed in a center tunnel surrounded by the upper frames and the lower frames. A pair of left and right upper frames and a pair of left and right lower frames constitute a fuel tank supporting structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2010Publication date: November 25, 2010Applicant: SUZIKI MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Toru Eguchi, Kazuyuki Hirota
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Publication number: 20100252554Abstract: A fuel filling port is inclined at a predetermined angle in a vertical direction such that a filling nozzle is inserted slantwise from above when a body is supported in an upright posture by a center stand to prevent a motorcycle from falling over even if a filling nozzle is pressingly inserted into the fuel filling port.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2010Publication date: October 7, 2010Inventors: Tohru Eguchi, Kazuyuki Hirota
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Publication number: 20100003577Abstract: A fuel gas supplying apparatus for a fuel cell system includes an exhaust apparatus having an exhaust pipe; a fuel apparatus for supplying fuel to the fuel cell; a regulator arranged to reduce pressure of the fuel gas provided to the fuel cell; and a fuel gas emitting pipe confluence-connected to the exhaust pipe, to emit fuel gas to an outside of the fuel apparatus by using the exhaust pipe as a pipe for temporarily emitting gas to the atmosphere. The regulator includes a plurality of pressure relief valves, a pressure reducing portion, and a solenoid valve upstream of the pressure reducing portion. The pressure relief valves are connected upstream and downstream of the pressure reducing portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2009Publication date: January 7, 2010Inventors: Tohru Eguchi, Kazuyuki Hirota
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Patent number: 5682675Abstract: A PC board is placed at a specified position by means of a positioning device, and an electronic component to be affixed to a side of the PC board is supplied to a parts holding device by means of a carrying head. The parts holding device holds the electronic component with terminal leads of the electronic component facing to a side of the PC board, and the parts holding device is moved towards the PC board to affix the terminal leads of the electronic component to the side of PC board. Thus, terminals of the electronic component such as connector, for example, may be automatically mounted to a side of a PC board.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 1995Date of Patent: November 4, 1997Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kazuyuki Hirota