Patents by Inventor Kenji Kimura

Kenji Kimura 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: 11196252
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a plurality of sweep modules. Each sweep module includes a battery module, an input and output circuit, a switching element, a capacitor, and a line. The input and output circuit connects the battery module to a main line. The switching element switches between connection and disconnection between the battery module and the main line. The capacitor is attached in parallel to the battery module. The line connects the input and output circuit to the battery module. The line is maintained in a state in which a loop portion is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 11196271
    Abstract: Provided is a full-charge-capacity estimating device that has one or more of a plurality of battery modules, as battery-modules-to-be-measured, charged or discharged by means of a first switch element and a second switch element according to whether a power supply device is in a powering state or a regenerating state, measures an integrated current value and a change in the state-of-charge of the battery-module-to-be-measured, and then estimates the full charge capacity of the battery-module-to-be-measured from the integrated current value and the change in the state-of-charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Takayuki Ban
  • Patent number: 11175241
    Abstract: This X-ray phase image capturing system (100) includes an X-ray source (1), a plurality of gratings, and a detector (4), a moving mechanism (8), and an image processing unit (5). The image processing unit (5) is configured to generate a phase-contrast image (15) based on a plurality of feature quantities (12) and feature quantities 14 extracted from a plurality of X-ray image sets (R) acquired by performing fringe scanning a plurality of times in a short time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Sano, Kenji Kimura, Taro Shirai, Masanobu Sato, Takahiro Doki, Akira Horiba, Naoki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 11172897
    Abstract: A radiation phase contrast imaging device includes an X-ray source, an X-ray detector configured to detect radiated X-rays, a plurality of gratings, an image processor configured to generate a reconstructed image from an X-ray image acquired from the X-ray detector, a display, and a controller configured or programmed to perform control to display, on the display, the X-ray image before reconstruction and the reconstructed image generated by the image processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Kimura, Taro Shirai, Takahiro Doki, Satoshi Sano, Akira Horiba, Naoki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 11154270
    Abstract: This X-ray imaging apparatus (100) includes a rotation mechanism (8) for relatively rotating an imaging system (200) constituted by an X-ray source (1), a detector (5), a first grating (2) and a second grating (3), and an image processing unit (6) for generating a dark-field image based on an X-ray intensity distribution at each of a plurality of rotation angles. The image processing unit (6) is configured to perform a scattering correction for reducing a dark-field signal of a pixel whose dark-field signal is larger than a threshold value (V1) among a plurality of pieces of pixels in the dark-field image to a set value (V2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Sano, Kenji Kimura, Taro Shirai, Takahiro Doki, Akira Horiba, Naoki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 11139682
    Abstract: A control device of a power supply system is configured to control inputting of electric power from a power system connected to a power distribution device to a plurality of strings connected to the power distribution device and outputting of electric power from the plurality of strings to the power system and to execute a process of stopping control for switching the at least one switching element between connection and disconnection on a string in which inputting of electric power and outputting of electric power are stopped out of the plurality of strings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 11101648
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a main line, a plurality of sweep modules, and a control unit. Each sweep module includes a battery module and a power circuit module. The power circuit module switches between connection and disconnection between the battery module and the main line. The control unit executes sweep control for sequentially switching the battery modules which are to be connected to the main line. The control unit maintains connection of a refreshing module which is to be subjected to refreshing charging/discharging to the main line while sweep control is being executed in a state in which the refreshing module is excluded in at least one of outputting of electric power to the outside and inputting of electric power from the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Publication number: 20210203178
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a plurality of battery modules and a control unit, and supplies electric power from the battery modules in an uppermost stage and a lowermost stage to a load. The control unit is configured to perform ON/OFF control for setting the battery modules to an ON state in an active time, setting the battery modules to an OFF state in a non-active time, and alternately repeating the active time and the non-active time. The control unit is configured to delay an ON/OFF control timing for the battery module in a lower stage adjacent to the battery module in a higher stage by a control delay time in comparison with the battery module in the higher stage. The control unit is configured to randomly determine the control delay times for the battery modules in lower stages than the battery module in the uppermost stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tsukada, Shuji Tomura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 11050247
    Abstract: The present teaching provides a power supply system capable of fully utilizing a plurality of batteries having different performances. A power supply system disclosed here includes a main line, a plurality of sweep modules, and a controller. Each of the sweep modules includes a battery module and an electric power circuit module. The electric power circuit module includes a switching device for connecting a connection state between the battery modules and the main line between connection and disconnection. The controller performs sweep control of sequentially switching the battery module connected to the main line among the plurality of battery modules. During an input of electric power from outside, the controller disconnects the battery module whose SOC level satisfies a high SOC condition from the main line (S7), and continues sweep control (S8, S9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Publication number: 20210172885
    Abstract: The X-ray imaging device (100) is provided with an X-ray source (1), a plurality of gratings, a moving mechanism (8), and an image processing unit (6). The image processing unit (6) is configured to generate a phase-contrast image (16) by associating a pixel value in each pixel of a subject (T) in a plurality of subject images (10) with phase values of a Moire fringe (30) at each pixel and aligning the pixel of the subject of the same position in the plurality of subject images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Satoshi SANO, Koichi TANABE, Kenji KIMURA, Yukihisa WADA, Satoshi TOKUDA, Taro SHIRAI, Takahiro DOKI, Akira HORIBA, Naoki MORIMOTO
  • Patent number: 11013482
    Abstract: A phase contrast X-ray imaging system includes an X-ray source; a plurality of gratings; a detector; a grating movement mechanism; and an image processor that generates a phase contrast image. The image processor generates the phase contrast image by using a pitch of an intensity change and a function which has the pitch as a variable and expresses the intensity change in a pixel value as a grating moves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Morimoto, Kenji Kimura, Taro Shirai, Takahiro Doki, Satoshi Sano, Akira Horiba
  • Publication number: 20210148839
    Abstract: This X-ray phase image capturing system (100) includes an X-ray source (1), a plurality of gratings, and a detector (4), a moving mechanism (8), and an image processing unit (5). The image processing unit (5) is configured to generate a phase-contrast image (15) based on a plurality of feature quantities (12) and feature quantities 14 extracted from a plurality of X-ray image sets (R) acquired by performing fringe scanning a plurality of times in a short time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Satoshi SANO, Kenji KIMURA, Taro SHIRAI, Masanobu SATO, Takahiro DOKI, Akira HORIBA, Naoki MORIMOTO
  • Patent number: 10980501
    Abstract: The X-ray phase imaging apparatus includes a position switching mechanism for switching a relative position of one or more gratings between a retreated position which is an outside of a detection range on a detection surface of an image signal detector and a detection positon which is an inside of the detection range on the detection surface of the image signal detector and a focal diameter changing unit configured to change a focal diameter of the X-ray source in conjunction with switching of the relative position of the one or more gratings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Tanabe, Kenji Kimura, Toshinori Yoshimuta, Taro Shirai, Takahiro Doki, Satoshi Sano, Akira Horiba, Naoki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 10985606
    Abstract: A power supply system disclosed here is connected to an electric power system through a distribution device. The power supply system includes a plurality of strings connected to the distribution device and a failure detector. The failure detector of the power supply system is configured to perform a first process of connecting at least one battery module to a main line to set a voltage detected by a string voltage detector at a voltage higher than a predetermined voltage in a state where a switch disconnects the distribution device and the main line, a second process of sending a disconnecting signal for disconnecting all the sweep modules from the main line, and a third process of determining whether the voltage detected by the string voltage detector is lower than the predetermined determination voltage or not after the second process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 10965150
    Abstract: The present teaching provides a power supply system capable of appropriately performing replacement or repairing of a component of a module where a problem occurs without stopping the entire operation, in a case where the problem occurs in of the module in a plurality of modules. The power supply system includes a plurality of sweep modules, a problem detector, an indicator, and a controller. Each sweep module includes a battery module and an electric power circuit module. The problem detector detects a problem for each sweep module. The indicator indicates a sweep module in which a problem is detected. In a case where a problem is detected in the sweep module (S4: YES), the controller causes the indicator to indicate a failure sweep module in which the problem is detected (S5). The controller disconnects the failure sweep module from a main line, and continues sweep control (S6 through S8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 10944262
    Abstract: A control device of a power supply system includes a stopping process unit. The stopping process unit is configured to operate a switching element when connection between a power system and a main line is cut off by a system breaker and to perform a stopping process of sequentially switching battery modules which are connected to the main line such that the number of battery modules which are connected to the main line decreases gradually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Publication number: 20210059630
    Abstract: This X-ray imaging apparatus (100) includes a rotation mechanism (8) for relatively rotating an imaging system (200) constituted by an X-ray source (1), a detector (5), a first grating (2) and a second grating (3), and an image processing unit (6) for generating a dark-field image based on an X-ray intensity distribution at each of a plurality of rotation angles. The image processing unit (6) is configured to perform a scattering correction for reducing a dark-field signal of a pixel whose dark-field signal is larger than a threshold value (V1) among a plurality of pieces of pixels in the dark-field image to a set value (V2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventors: Satoshi SANO, Kenji KIMURA, Taro SHIRAI, Takahiro DOKI, Akira HORIBA, Naoki MORIMOTO
  • 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: 10907257
    Abstract: In a projection material for mechanical plating, a steel particle is used as a core, and the surrounding surface thereof is coated with a zinc alloy in which the content of Al is more than 5% by mass but equal to or less than 16% by mass, the content of Mg is equal to or more than 5.5% by mass but equal to or less than 15% by mass and the remaining portion is Zn and an impurity, and the content of Fe is equal to or more than 3% by mass but equal to or less than 80% by mass. In this way, the corrosion resistance of a zinc-based coating itself formed in mechanical plating is remarkably enhanced without dependence on protective coating formation treatment such as chromate treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignees: DOWA IP CREATION CO., LTD., HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Fujiwara, Naohisa Okamoto, Kenji Kimura, Tsutomu Miyadera
  • Patent number: 10911090
    Abstract: There is provided a portable terminal that combines a function of physically protecting the screen, a function of protecting privacy of display on the screen, and a function of making the screen viewable when required. A screen drawing process unit decreases viewability of at least a portion of the screen if it is determined that a flip cover having a window region that faces a touch panel and that is translucent or transparent is superposed on a display surface of a smartphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji Kimura