Patents by Inventor Koji Katano

Koji Katano 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: 20120077104
    Abstract: An air compressor as a fluid compressor includes: a suction port and a delivery port provided at upper and lower portions, respectively, of a pump chamber; a suction passage in communication with the inside of the pump chamber via the suction port; a delivery passage in communication with the inside of the pump chamber via the delivery port (88); and a driving rotor and a driven rotor provided in the pump chamber. At least a part of the suction passage is located below the suction port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Katano, Daisuke Masaki
  • Publication number: 20120070757
    Abstract: The pressure-adjusting valve provided in the cathode outlet of a fuel cell stack constituting a fuel cell system has a function of adjusting the oxidizing gas pressure in the fuel cell stack according to the adjustment of the valve opening degree. When the exhaust pipe is flooded with water, the pressure inside the exhaust pipe varies from the atmospheric pressure and the opening degree of the pressure-adjusting valve changes. The flooding estimation signal output processing unit of the control unit outputs a flooding estimation signal indicating that the exhaust pipe is flooded when an opening degree difference that is a difference between the opening degree of the pressure-adjusting valve and a preset opening degree corresponding to the operation directed pressure is equal to or greater than a preset threshold opening degree difference. The processing of inhibiting the flowing is performed based on this signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Patent number: 8105730
    Abstract: A fuel cell system having a fuel cell, a fuel supply flow path for allowing a fuel gas supplied from a fuel supply source to flow to the fuel cell, an on-off valve for regulating the state of the gas on the upstream side of the fuel supply flow path to supply it to the downstream side, failure detection means for detecting whether the on-off valve has a closure failure, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure value of the fuel gas on the upstream side of the on-off valve, and determination condition setting means for setting, based on the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor, the conditions of determination of the closure failure of the on-off valve. The failure detection means determines whether the on-off valve has the closure failure, based on the closure failure determination conditions set by the determination condition setting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Katano, Norio Yamagishi, Akihisa Hotta
  • Publication number: 20120006606
    Abstract: The fuel cell stack is placed in an attitude for which the stacking direction of the plurality of cells are tilted in relation to the front-back direction of the vehicle, and the second end plate is positioned at forward and upper position relative to the first end plate in the vehicle. The radiator is provided at a forward position relative to the second end plate, and along the second end plate. The first compressor is fixed at a total of three or more points to both the first and second end plates below the fuel cell stack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daisuke Masaki, Koji Katano
  • Patent number: 8088531
    Abstract: The present application provides a technique prevents a regulator arranged on a gas supplying path that supplies gas to a fuel cell installed in a fuel cell system from functioning erroneously, by controlling the pressure increase within the upper stream side of the regulator. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an oxide gas supplying path to supply oxide gas to the fuel cell, a fuel gas supplying path to supply fuel gas to the fuel cell, a secondary regulator arranged on the fuel supplying path, a bypass path communicating the upper stream side path of the secondary regulator with the lower stream side path of the secondary regulator, and a pressure controlling valve that is closed in a case where the pressure difference between the upper stream side path and the lower stream side path is less than a predetermined amount, and opened in a case where the pressure difference between the upper stream side path and the lower stream side path exceeds the predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Katano, Norio Yamagishi, Nobutaka Teshima, Akihisa Hotta
  • Publication number: 20110143248
    Abstract: A fuel cell comprises: multiple unit cells stacked upright in a vertical direction or stacked in a vertically inclined orientation; an insulating plate arranged on a vertically upper-side end of the stacked multiple unit cells; a cooling medium supply manifold arranged to distribute a supply flow of a cooling medium into the multiple unit cells and a cooling medium discharge manifold arranged to join together discharged flows of the cooling medium from the multiple unit cells; and a de-airing passage formed to release a gas accumulated in either the cooling medium supply manifold or the cooling medium discharge manifold, wherein the cooling medium supply discharge manifold and the cooling medium discharge manifold are respectively connected to a cooling medium supply piping and a cooling medium discharge piping on a vertically lower-side end of the fuel cell, and the de-airing passage is formed such that a portion of the de-airing passage is made in the insulating plate wherein the portion of the de-airing pa
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Publication number: 20110117467
    Abstract: A first detection line is set in a lower temperature range than a limit line representing an upper limit temperature of a motor allowed by an inverter and represents a reference motor temperature at a required output for fuel cells as a temperature criterion where a controller changes over the means for achieving the sufficient hydrogen stoichiometric ratio from recycling hydrogen with a circulation pump to increasing the hydrogen concentration. When the motor temperature reaches or exceeds the first detection line at the required output for the fuel cells, the controller prevents an increase in rotation speed of the motor and regulates the openings of a shutoff valve and a regulator to increase the concentration of hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen tank to the fuel cells and thereby increase the hydrogen supply pressure. This arrangement effectively prevents an increase of the motor temperature, while achieving the sufficient hydrogen stoichiometric ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Patent number: 7943265
    Abstract: A fuel cell system (50) includes pressure obtaining means (4) for obtaining the pressure in a hydrogen system (anode (1b)) of a fuel cell (1), pressure estimation means (10) for estimating the hydrogen partial pressure in the hydrogen system. Further, the fuel cell system (50) includes impurity concentration estimation means (10) for estimating the impurity concentration in the hydrogen system. That is, the impurity concentration estimation means (10) estimates the impurity concentration taking the present state of the hydrogen system into consideration. Thus, the impurity concentration estimation means (10) accurately estimates the impurity concentration in the hydrogen system of the fuel cell (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Publication number: 20110079455
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle-installation structure for a fuel cell with the capability of reducing a pressure drop in a gas flow path in the fuel cell. A vehicle-installation structure for a fuel cell in which: a fuel cell stack with an end of cells in a stacking direction being supported by an end plate is installed in a vehicle so that the stacking direction of the cells extends along a right-left direction of the vehicle; and an off gas of an oxidant gas from the fuel cell stack is exhausted via a diluter from a rear side with respect to the fuel cell stack in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, wherein a junction between a plurality of exhaust manifolds for guiding the off gas of the oxidant gas discharged from the fuel cell stack is arranged on a front side in the end plate in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2009
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Publication number: 20110076584
    Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell system capable of ensuring responsiveness during acceleration even when a motor with a smaller torque as compared to the related art is used. A control apparatus reduces the revolution speeds of motors of an air compressor, a circulation pump and a cooling pump by a coasting operation, without performing a regenerative control, when a load required from a fuel cell (electrical power required by various motors and auxiliary apparatuses) is being reduced and a travel speed is equal to or higher than a set speed. With such a configuration, even when a driver later reaccelerates a vehicle by, for example, pressing down an accelerator, required acceleration force is smaller as compared to the related art, and thus a motor with a small torque can be employed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Publication number: 20110070527
    Abstract: Provided is fuel cell system capable of eliminating any failure caused by freezing of a discharge valve during a low temperature while preventing an increase in size of the system. A fuel cell system is provided, the system including: a fuel cell; a diluter that dilutes a fuel-off gas discharged from the fuel cell with an oxidant-off gas discharged from the fuel cell to discharge the resulting gas to the outside; a fuel-off gas flow path that connects the fuel cell and the diluter; and a discharge valve that is provided to the fuel-off gas flow path to discharge a fuel-off gas flowing through the fuel-off gas flow path to the outside during a valve opening operation. In the fuel cell system, the discharge valve is integrally attached to the diluter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Patent number: 7910257
    Abstract: A fuel cell system according to the present invention includes a fuel cell; a fuel supply system for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel cell; an injector which drives a valve body with an electromagnetic driving force in a predetermined driving period to detach the valve body from a valve seat, whereby a gas state on the upstream side of the fuel supply system is adjusted to jet the gas to a downstream side; and a control device which controls the operation of the injector. The control device allows the injector to jet the gas with a jet flow rate of a predetermined jet flow rate or less in a case where the demanded amount of a power to be generated with respect to the fuel cell is the predetermined amount of the power to be generated or less, and the control device sets the driving frequency of the injector in accordance with the jet flow rate and the demanded amount of the power to be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Publication number: 20100323263
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, a pipe forming a fuel supply passage through which a fuel gas supplied from a fuel supply source flows to the fuel cell, an on/off valve which regulates a gas state on the upstream side of the fuel supply passage to supply the gas to the downstream side, and control means for controlling the opening/closing operation of the on/off valve. The control means sets a required time from the opening time of the on/off valve to the closing time of the valve so that the vibration level of the pipe on the upstream side of the on/off valve is a predetermined reference level or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2008
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Patent number: 7846597
    Abstract: The present invention is a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, an injector which is provided in a hydrogen supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a gas state of an upstream side of the hydrogen supply channel to supply a gas toward a downstream side, and a control device which drives and controls the injector. The control device controls an operation of the injector based on a driving state of an associated device including the fuel cell system 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Yamagishi, Akihisa Hotta, Norimasa Ishikawa, Koji Katano
  • Publication number: 20100278665
    Abstract: Provided is a compressor fixation structure that can reduce the occurrence of condensation. In a fixation structure for a compressor that has an electric motor and a compression mechanism provided adjacently to the electric motor and driven by the electric motor, when forming a motor housing for the electric motor and a compression mechanism housing for the compression mechanism separately from each other, a fixation part to be fixed to an object to which the compressor is to be attached is provided in the compression mechanism housing. Consequently, the compression mechanism housing is integrated with the object, and the heat capacity of the compression mechanism including the compression mechanism housing can be assumed to be a larger capacity which includes the heat capacity of the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Koji Katano, Yusuke Shimoyana, Masato Sowa
  • Publication number: 20100279193
    Abstract: The present invention is a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, an injector which is provided in a hydrogen supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a gas state of an upstream side of the hydrogen supply channel to supply a gas toward a downstream side, and a control device which drives and controls the injector. The control device controls an operation of the injector based on a driving state of an associated device including the fuel cell system 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norio YAMAGISHI, Akihisa HOTTA, Norimasa ISHIKAWA, Koji KATANO
  • Publication number: 20100261093
    Abstract: A fuel cell system which can encase a dilution device while keeping the height of a fuel cell case as low as possible by utilizing the lower space in the case effectively. A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack generating power through an electrochemical reaction between a gas supplied to the anode side and a gas supplied to a cathode side, a dilution device for diluting an anode off gas discharged from the fuel cell stack with a cathode off gas and discharging the diluted gas, and a fuel cell case for encasing the fuel cell stack and the dilution device. In this fuel cell system, a lateral opening of the fuel cell case for passing an exhaust pipe extending to the exhaust downstream of the dilution device is arranged above the lowermost portion of the inner surface of the dilution device with respect to the gravitational direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Publication number: 20100239935
    Abstract: A fuel cell system according to the present invention includes a fuel cell; a fuel supply system for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel cell; an injector which drives a valve body with an electromagnetic driving force in a predetermined driving period to detach the valve body from a valve seat, whereby a gas state on the upstream side of the fuel supply system is adjusted to jet the gas to a downstream side; and a control device which controls the operation of the injector. The control device allows the injector to jet the gas with a jet flow rate of a predetermined jet flow rate or less in a case where the demanded amount of a power to be generated with respect to the fuel cell is the predetermined amount of the power to be generated or less, and the control device sets the driving frequency of the injector in accordance with the jet flow rate and the demanded amount of the power to be generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Katano
  • Publication number: 20100233581
    Abstract: A fuel cell system having a fuel cell, a fuel supply flow path for allowing a fuel gas supplied from a fuel supply source to flow to the fuel cell, an on-off valve for regulating the state of the gas on the upstream side of the fuel supply flow path to supply it to the downstream side, failure detection means for detecting whether the on-off valve has a closure failure, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure value of the fuel gas on the upstream side of the on-off valve, and determination condition setting means for setting, based on the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor, the conditions of determination of the closure failure of the on-off valve. The failure detection means determines whether the on-off valve has the closure failure, based on the closure failure determination conditions set by the determination condition setting means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Inventors: Koji Katano, Norio Yamagishi, Akihisa Hotta
  • Publication number: 20100233561
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a cell stack body formed by stacking fuel cells on top of each other, end plates arranged at ends in the cell stacking direction of the cell stack body, and a fluid regulation device mounted in a flow path connected to the cell stack body and regulating conditions of fluid flowing in the flow path. The fluid regulation device is fixed to an end plate only at either of a fluid entrance portion and a fluid exit portion of the fluid regulation device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Katano, Toshiyuki Inagaki, Nobutaka Teshima