Patents by Inventor Keiichiro Ohkawa

Keiichiro Ohkawa 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: 20180074129
    Abstract: Provided are a battery control device which can estimates an SOC of a battery with a high accuracy, and an electric motor vehicle system. The battery control device (190) includes a feature amount calculation unit (152) which calculates a feature amount indicating a charging/discharging pattern of the battery, a first charging state amount calculation unit (151-1) which calculates a first charging state amount (SOCi) of the battery on the basis of a first battery state amount, a second charging state amount calculation unit (151-2) which calculates a second charging state amount (SOCv) of the battery on the basis of a second battery state amount, and a third charging state amount calculation unit (151-3) which calculates a third charging state amount (SOC(t)) on the basis of the feature amount, the first charging stage amount, the second charging stage amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryohhei NAKAO, Keiichiro OHKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180050681
    Abstract: A device for controlling current for charging/discharging a battery with a high accuracy includes a time-point setting unit which calculates a voltage difference by subtracting a calculated open-circuit voltage from a measured closed-circuit voltage, and sets first and second time points, at which an absolute value of the voltage difference becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value and an absolute value of a difference in the open-circuit voltage becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. The control device further includes a current correction amount calculation unit to obtain the current integral amount, calculate the current error in a detection signal and set the current error as the current correction amount on the basis of the current integral amount and the time from the first time point to the second time point. The current correction unit corrects the detection signal using the current correction amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichiro OHKAWA, Ryohhei NAKAO
  • Publication number: 20180037130
    Abstract: A battery controller capable of increasing the number of chances of being able to acquire information on a secondary battery storage capacity and a vehicle system having the battery controller mounted thereon are provided. A battery controller 120 mounted on a vehicle system 200 includes a time point setting unit 153 that sets a first time point at which a first voltage difference dVa (=CCVa?OCVa) which is a difference obtained by subtracting a first open-circuit voltage OCVa from a first closed-circuit voltage CCVa is obtained and a second time point at which a second voltage difference dVb (=CCVb?OCVb) which is a difference obtained by subtracting a second open-circuit voltage OCVb from a second closed-circuit voltage CCVb is obtained and an absolute value of the difference from the first voltage difference dVa is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichiro OHKAWA, Ryohhei NAKAO
  • Patent number: 9689926
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery control device that can appropriately verify the results of the estimation of the state of charge of a battery. This battery control device is provided with a charged state calculation unit that calculates the state of charge of the battery and a charged state verification unit that verifies the results of the calculation. The charged state verification unit calculates the charged state using a calculation procedure that is not being used by the charged state calculation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiichiro Ohkawa, Ryohei Nakao, Youhei Kawahara, Naoyuki Igarashi, Yoshinori Aoshima
  • Patent number: 9685807
    Abstract: Provided is a battery control device that can accurately detect a state of charge even if characteristics relating to the state of charge change as a result of battery degradation. This battery control device is provided with map data describing the correspondence relationship between an open-circuit voltage and a state of charge of the battery and outputs different state-of-charge values for the same open-circuit voltage according to the amount of elapsed time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryouhei Nakao, Shinji Imai, Keiichiro Ohkawa, Naoyuki Igarashi, Takahiro Soma
  • Patent number: 9680320
    Abstract: A battery control apparatus is provided which can keep an inter-terminal voltage of each single cell within a permitted range while permitted power is controlled in units of a battery pack. The battery control apparatus of the invention restricts the permitted power of the battery pack according to a degree of closeness of a close circuit voltage of the single cell to an upper limit or a lower limit of the permitted range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichiro Tsuru, Akinori Tada, Hiroshi Morikawa, Keiichiro Ohkawa, Yoshinori Aoshima
  • Publication number: 20170141444
    Abstract: A battery state detection device detects a battery state and includes: a first permissible current calculating unit configured to calculate a first permissible current of a battery based on a voltage of the battery detected by a voltage detecting unit; a second permissible current calculating unit configured to calculate a second permissible current of the battery without using the voltage of the battery; and a permissible current determining unit configured to determine a permissible current of the battery corresponding to the battery state on the basis of at least one of the first permissible current and the second permissible current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Inventors: Youhei KAWAHARA, Masahiro YONEMOTO, Keiichiro OHKAWA
  • Publication number: 20170131360
    Abstract: A battery state detection device detects a battery state and includes: a first permissible current calculating unit configured to calculate a first permissible current of a battery based on a voltage of the battery detected by a voltage detecting unit; a second permissible current calculating unit configured to calculate a second permissible current of the battery without using the voltage of the battery; and a correction unit configured to compare the first permissible current and the second permissible current and to perform a predetermined correction process on the basis of the comparison result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Youhei KAWAHARA, Masahiro YONEMOTO, Keiichiro OHKAWA
  • Patent number: 9641011
    Abstract: A battery control device capable of carrying out current limitation in consideration of constraints on other components than a battery main body is provided. A battery control device according to the invention has an average current table describing an average current allowed for each of plural time window widths, and limits a battery current in accordance with the description.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichiro Ohkawa, Ryouhei Nakao, Youhei Kawahara
  • Publication number: 20170082694
    Abstract: A secondary-battery monitoring device includes: a use-state memory device that stores a transition of a load parameter indicating a use state of a secondary battery; and a battery capacity prediction device that predicts a temporal change of a battery capacity of the secondary battery on the basis of a prediction function. The prediction function is derived from a relation between growth of a film formed in an electrode surface of the secondary battery and a reduction of a precursor component of the film which is contained in an electrolyte of the secondary battery. The battery capacity prediction device determines a coefficient of the prediction function on the basis of the transition of the load parameter which is stored in the use-state memory device, and predicts the temporal change of the battery capacity of the secondary battery on the basis of the prediction function which uses the coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro YONEMOTO, Youhei KAWAHARA, Takeshi INOUE, Keiichiro OHKAWA
  • Patent number: 9590431
    Abstract: A battery controller that performs current limitation in consideration of limitation on other components than a battery main body and the state of health of a battery is provided. A battery controller limits a battery current using allowable average current information describing current average values respectively allowed for a plurality of time windows. When the battery is deteriorated, an allowable average current obtained by subtraction in response to the state of health is used. Further, when the battery current exceeds an upper limit value stored in advance, the battery current is controlled with the upper limit reduced by the excessive amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichiro Ohkawa, Kenji Nakai, Hiroshi Morikawa
  • Patent number: 9557388
    Abstract: A battery control device calculates at least one of an allowable current and an allowable power during charge/discharge of a battery from a no-load voltage and an internal resistance of the battery, and corrects at least one of the no-load voltage and the internal resistance according to the states of charge/discharge of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Aoshima, Hiroshi Morikawa, Kenji Nakai, Keiichiro Ohkawa
  • Patent number: 9537325
    Abstract: A battery state estimation system estimates a state of charge of a chargeable battery. A SOCv computing unit calculates a state of charge of the battery using a voltage applied across the battery. A SOCi computing unit integrates a current flowing through the battery to calculate a state of charge of the battery. A SOCw computing unit which performs weighted addition to the state of charge of the battery calculated by the SOCv computing unit and the state of charge of the battery calculated by the SOCi computing unit, wherein when the temperature of the battery is a threshold value or less and the current flowing through the battery is a threshold value or less, the SOCw computing unit sets the specific gravity at the state of charge of the battery calculated by the SOCi computing unit larger than that in other cases upon the weighted addition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoyuki Igarashi, Keiichiro Ohkawa
  • Publication number: 20160351976
    Abstract: A secondary battery system capable of acquiring an SOC of a battery with a simple computation without acquiring battery characteristics is to be provided. The secondary battery system according to the present invention is adapted to acquire a momentary SOC (charging SOC) by obtaining an initial value of an SOC from a CCV acquired during a charging period and adding an integrated value of a charge or discharge current to the initial value of the SOC, acquire a momentary SOC (discharging SOC) by obtaining an initial value of an SOC from a CCV acquired during a discharging period and adding an integrated value of a charge or discharge current to the initial value of the SOC, and acquire an SOC close to a true value by averaging the charging SOC and the discharging SOC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Youhei KAWAHARA, Takeshi INOUE, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Keiichiro OHKAWA
  • Patent number: 9423464
    Abstract: A battery control device includes an acquisition portion that acquires measured values on the battery state every predetermined period, and a determination processing portion that determines the battery state. The determination processing portion determines that the battery state is abnormal when the number of times the measured value is out of a given range reaches a threshold until the measured value is acquired a predetermined standard number of times. If the number of times the measured value is out of range is less than the threshold when the measured number is acquired the standard number of times, the determination of the battery state is performed for an extended period until the number of times the measured value is out of the range reaches the threshold, or until the measured number is within the range, based on the measured value acquired more than the standard number of times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Aoshima, Keiichiro Ohkawa
  • Publication number: 20160097819
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device includes: a current detection unit that detects an electric current flowing through a battery; a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage between both ends of the battery; a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the battery; an internal resistance increase rate calculation unit that calculates the internal resistance increase rate of the battery based on the detected electric current, voltage between the both ends, and temperature; and a calculation invalid time setting unit that sets a predetermined calculation invalid time according to the characteristics of the internal resistance increase rate. The calculation results of the internal resistance increase rate is invalidated for an invalid period from the start of charging or discharging of the battery to the lapse of the calculation invalid time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Keiichiro OHKAWA, Naoyuki IGARASHI
  • Patent number: 9252624
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a battery control apparatus capable of accurately obtaining permissible charging or discharging power in keeping with variation of the internal resistance of a battery. The battery control apparatus of this invention includes an internal resistance table in which the internal resistance value of single cells corresponding to the temperature and state of charge thereof are described in association with each of charging or discharging duration time of the single cells. The battery control apparatus calculates a permissible charging current or a permissible discharging current by using the internal resistance value described in the internal resistance table and controls the charging or discharging of the single cells in accordance with the current value thus obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichiro Ohkawa, Ryouhei Nakao, Youhei Kawahara
  • Patent number: 9252602
    Abstract: To satisfactorily carry out balancing even when balancing control is suspended. It is selected according to a condition which of battery cell information (old state information) by the last balancing stored in a storage device and battery cell information (new state information) acquired during a start of this time is used, and the balancing control is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichiro Ohkawa, Youhei Kawahara, Ryouhei Nakao
  • Publication number: 20150357852
    Abstract: Provided is a battery control device that can accurately detect a state of charge even if characteristics relating to the state of charge change as a result of battery degradation. This battery control device is provided with map data describing the correspondence relationship between an open-circuit voltage and a state of charge of the battery and outputs different state-of-charge values for the same open-circuit voltage according to the amount of elapsed time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryouhei NAKAO, Shinji IMAI, Keiichiro OHKAWA, Naoyuki IGARASHI, Takahiro SOMA
  • Publication number: 20150346285
    Abstract: A device for assessing an extent of degradation of a secondary battery, includes: a determination unit that determines whether or not a value of current flowing in the secondary battery is less than a predetermined value; a first voltage measurement unit that takes a time point at which it is determined by the determination unit that the value of the current is less than the predetermined value as being a start time point of a specific interval, and that measures a first battery voltage of the secondary battery at the start time point; a first charge amount calculation unit that obtains a first charge amount corresponding to the secondary battery based upon the measured first battery voltage; a second voltage measurement unit that, after the first battery voltage has been measured by the first voltage measurement unit, takes a time point at which it is determined by the determination unit that the value of the current is less than the predetermined value as being an end time point of the specific interval, an
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventors: Naoyuki IGARASHI, Keiichiro OHKAWA