Patents by Inventor Koji Ohira

Koji Ohira 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: 20240128808
    Abstract: A stator for a rotating electric machine includes a stator core and a stator coil. The stator core is formed of a band-shaped steel sheet that is helically bent and laminated. The stator core has slots each opening at an inner periphery of the stator core and spaced from one another in a circumferential direction. The stator coil is formed of electrical conductor segments that are inserted in the slots of the stator core and connected with one another. The band-shaped steel sheet has slits each of which is formed, at a position corresponding to one of the slots, to be open to the corresponding slot. Each of the electrical conductor segments is substantially U-shaped and has a pair of leg portions respectively inserted in corresponding two of the slots of the stator core; the corresponding two slots are circumferentially apart from each other by two or more slot-pitches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, DENSO PRESSTECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keiji KONDO, Yuichi KUDOSE, Hirotaka KUROZAKI, Masaki OHIRA, Ryosuke MATSUMOTO, Shinji TAKESHITA, Takashi KURAMITSU, Tomohiro HASHIMOTO, Koji YOSHIDA, Katsuhiko GOTO
  • Patent number: 11860235
    Abstract: A battery state estimation apparatus calculates a measured DC resistance value of a DC resistance based on a current change amount and a voltage change amount, which are calculated in a predetermined period using measured current value and voltage value. The battery state estimation apparatus further calculates (i) a non-temperature dependent constant and (ii) a constant of a temperature dependent function based on (i) an estimated DC resistance value and (ii) the measured DC resistance value. The estimated DC resistance value is an estimated value of the measured DC resistance value; the estimated DC resistance value is represented as a sum of (i) the non-temperature dependent constant Ra, which indicates a temperature independent component of the DC resistance of the secondary battery, and (ii) the temperature dependent function Rb, which indicates a temperature dependent component of the DC resistance of the secondary battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuri Sano, Hiroki Fujii, Koji Ohira
  • Publication number: 20220196750
    Abstract: A battery state estimation apparatus calculates a measured DC resistance value of a DC resistance based on a current change amount and a voltage change amount, which are calculated in a predetermined period using measured current value and voltage value. The battery state estimation apparatus further calculates (i) a non-temperature dependent constant and (ii) a constant of a temperature dependent function based on (i) an estimated DC resistance value and (ii) the measured DC resistance value. The estimated DC resistance value is an estimated value of the measured DC resistance value; the estimated DC resistance value is represented as a sum of (i) the non-temperature dependent constant Ra, which indicates a temperature independent component of the DC resistance of the secondary battery, and (ii) the temperature dependent function Rb, which indicates a temperature dependent component of the DC resistance of the secondary battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Yuri SANO, Hiroki FUJII, Koji OHIRA
  • Patent number: 11047917
    Abstract: A power supply system is provided with a secondary battery, a memory unit, a calculation unit and a SOC characteristics acquiring unit. The memory unit stores initial characteristics data having a relationship between the open circuit voltage and the capacity for the secondary battery before being deteriorated. The calculation unit utilizes the initial characteristics data to calculate a deteriorated characteristics data which is a relationship between the open circuit voltage and the capacity of the deteriorated secondary battery. The SOC characteristics acquiring unit acquires the relationship between the open circuit voltage and the state of charge of the deteriorated secondary battery by dividing the capacity value included in the deteriorated characteristics data by the fully charged capacity of the deteriorated secondary battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Kusano, Koji Ohira
  • Patent number: 10923774
    Abstract: A battery state estimating device estimates a battery state in a battery module having a plurality of secondary batteries. The battery state estimating device is configured to be able to change a number of targets which is a number of the secondary batteries subject to estimation of the battery state of the secondary battery based on a specific value acquired from the plurality of secondary batteries, or the battery state estimating device is configured to be able to change a calculation formula for estimating the battery state of the battery to a calculation formula with a small calculation load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Kusano, Koji Ohira, Naomi Awano
  • Patent number: 10901040
    Abstract: A battery state estimating device periodically estimates a battery state of a secondary battery. The battery state estimating device has a current amount acquiring section, a threshold amount memory, a current amount comparing section, a cycle setting section, and a battery state estimating section. The current amount acquiring section acquires a current amount flowing in the secondary battery. At least one current threshold amount is stored in advance in the threshold amount memory. The current amount comparing section compares the current amount acquired by the current amount acquiring section with the current threshold amount stored in the threshold amount memory. The cycle setting section sets an estimation cycle for estimating the state of the secondary battery based on this comparison result. The battery state estimating section periodically estimates the battery state of the secondary battery based on the estimation cycle set by the cycle setting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Kusano, Koji Ohira, Naomi Awano
  • Publication number: 20200072910
    Abstract: A power supply system is provided with a secondary battery, a memory unit, a calculation unit and a SOC characteristics acquiring unit. The memory unit stores initial characteristics data having a relationship between the open circuit voltage and the capacity for the secondary battery before being deteriorated. The calculation unit utilizes the initial characteristics data to calculate a deteriorated characteristics data which is a relationship between the open circuit voltage and the capacity of the deteriorated secondary battery. The SOC characteristics acquiring unit acquires the relationship between the open circuit voltage and the state of charge of the deteriorated secondary battery by dividing the capacity value included in the deteriorated characteristics data by the fully charged capacity of the deteriorated secondary battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshikazu KUSANO, Koji OHIRA
  • Patent number: 10553859
    Abstract: An electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes: a core part including at least one of an inorganic oxide and a carbon-composite inorganic composite oxide; and a shell part for carbon coating on the core part. The electrode active material has a specific surface area of 6.0 m2/g or more. The electrode active material has a moisture content of 400 ppm or less, which is measured by a Karl Fischer method such that the electrode active material is heated in a heat-evaporating manner, and continuously maintained at 250° C. for 40 minutes without exposing to an atmosphere after the electrode active material is exposed to the atmosphere to absorb moisture to be saturated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuhei Yoshida, Koji Ohira, Masaki Uchiyama, Daisuke Shibata
  • Patent number: 10439209
    Abstract: An electrode includes an electrode material, which includes: a core part made of an active substance having a polyanion structure having Mn; and a shell part obtained by covering a surface of the core part with carbon. In addition, an amount of water, as measured by Karl Fischer's method when the electrode is held at 250° C. for 40 minutes after adsorbed water is volatilized by heating, is 1500 ppm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Ohira, Daisuke Shibata, Shuhei Yoshida, Keita Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10312814
    Abstract: A power source apparatus for supplying power to a load includes a switch and a controller. The controller detects voltage applied to the switch. The controller further switches a state of the switch from OFF to ON when the detected voltage is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoyuki Wakabayashi, Takafumi Nishikawa, Koji Ohira
  • Publication number: 20180267106
    Abstract: A battery state estimating device periodically estimates a battery state of a secondary battery. The battery state estimating device has a current amount acquiring section, a threshold amount memory, a current amount comparing section, a cycle setting section, and a battery state estimating section. The current amount acquiring section acquires a current amount flowing in the secondary battery. At least one current threshold amount is stored in advance in the threshold amount memory. The current amount comparing section compares the current amount acquired by the current amount acquiring section with the current threshold amount stored in the threshold amount memory. The cycle setting section sets an estimation cycle for estimating the state of the secondary battery based on this comparison result. The battery state estimating section periodically estimates the battery state of the secondary battery based on the estimation cycle set by the cycle setting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshikazu KUSANO, Koji OHIRA, Naomi AWANO
  • Publication number: 20180261889
    Abstract: A battery state estimating device estimates a battery state in a battery module having a plurality of secondary batteries. The battery state estimating device is configured to be able to change a number of targets which is a number of the secondary batteries subject to estimation of the battery state of the secondary battery based on a specific value acquired from the plurality of secondary batteries, or the battery state estimating device is configured to be able to change a calculation formula for estimating the battery state of the battery to a calculation formula with a small calculation load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshikazu KUSANO, Koji OHIRA, Naomi AWANO
  • Publication number: 20180131280
    Abstract: A power source apparatus for supplying power to a load includes a switch and a controller. The controller detects voltage applied to the switch. The controller further switches a state of the switch from OFF to ON when the detected voltage is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoyuki Wakabayashi, Takafumi Nishikawa, Koji Ohira
  • Patent number: 9882406
    Abstract: A lithium-ion battery includes a cathode active material of the Olivine-type crystal structure. The lithium-ion battery is charged under control of a charging control apparatus, which performs a charging process for charging up to a target voltage according to a constant-current and constant-voltage charging method, a negative-electrode potential evaluation process for evaluating a potential change quantity at the negative-electrode, and a voltage setting process for setting the target voltage to a lower voltage based on the potential change quantity of the negative-electrode evaluated by the negative-electrode potential evaluation process. The charging voltage is changed from the target voltage to the set voltage even when the negative-electrode potential changes with an increase in the number of charging and aging deterioration. Thus a positive-electrode potential is suppressed from rising because of less susceptibility to the increase in number of charging and aging deterioration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshinori Satou, Masaki Uchiyama, Nobuo Yamamoto, Koji Ohira
  • Publication number: 20160315316
    Abstract: An electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes: a core part including at least one of an inorganic oxide and a carbon-composite inorganic composite oxide; and a shell part for carbon coating on the core part. The electrode active material has a specific surface area of 6.0 m2/g or more. The electrode active material has a moisture content of 400 ppm or less, which is measured by a Karl Fischer method such that the electrode active material is heated in a heat-evaporating manner, and continuously maintained at 250° C. for 40 minutes without exposing to an atmosphere after the electrode active material is exposed to the atmosphere to absorb moisture to be saturated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Inventors: Shuhei YOSHIDA, Koji OHIRA, Masaki UCHIYAMA, Daisuke SHIBATA
  • Patent number: 9419280
    Abstract: A cathode active material of the present invention is a cathode active material having a composition represented by General Formula (1) below, LiFe1?xMxP1?ySiyO4??(1), where: an average valence of Fe is +2 or more; M is an element having a valence of +2 or more and is at least one type of element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Sn, Y, and Al; the valence of M is different from the average valence of Fe; 0<x?0.5; and y=x×({valence of M}?2)+(1?x)×({average valence of Fe}?2). This provides a cathode active material that not only excels in terms of safety and cost but also can provide a long-life battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Ohira, Motoaki Nishijima, Toshitsugu Sueki, Shogo Esaki, Isao Tanaka, Yukinori Koyama, Katsuhisa Tanaka, Koji Fujita, Shunsuke Murai
  • Publication number: 20160211515
    Abstract: An electrode includes an electrode material, which includes: a core part made of an active substance having a polyanion structure having Mn; and a shell part obtained by covering a surface of the core part with carbon. In addition, an amount of water, as measured by Karl Fischer's method when the electrode is held at 250° C. for 40 minutes after adsorbed water is volatilized by heating, is 1500 ppm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Koji Ohira, Daisuke Shibata, Shuhei Yoshida, Keita Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9373844
    Abstract: A positive electrode active substance including a lithium-containing metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1): LiFe1-xMxP1-ySiyO4??(1) wherein M represents an element selected from Sn, Zr, Y, and Al; 0<x<1; and 0<y<1, wherein the lithium-containing metal oxide has a lattice constant and a half value width of a diffraction peak of a (011) plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Ohira, Motoaki Nishijima, Toshitsugu Sueki, Shougo Esaki, Isao Tanaka, Yukinori Koyama, Katsuhisa Tanaka, Koji Fujita, Shunsuke Murai
  • Patent number: 9350021
    Abstract: Provided is a cathode active material which is superior in safety and cost and makes it possible to provide a nonaqueous secondary battery having a long life. The cathode active material has a composition represented by the following formula (1): LiMn1-xMxP1-yAlyO4??(1) (wherein M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, V, Zr, Sn and Y, x is in a range of 0<x?0.5, and y is in a range of 0<y?0.25).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Ohira, Motoaki Nishijima, Yuichi Kamimura
  • Patent number: 9350022
    Abstract: A cathode active material of the present invention is a cathode active material having a composition represented by General Formula (1) below, LiFe1-xMxP1-ySiyO4??(1), where: an average valence of Fe is +2 or more; M is an element having a valence of +2 or more and is at least one type of element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Sn, Y, and Al; the valence of M is different from the average valence of Fe; 0<x?0.5; and y=x×({valence of M}?2)+(1?x)×({average valence of Fe}?2). This provides a cathode active material that not only excels in terms of safety and cost but also can provide a long-life battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Ohira, Motoaki Nishijima, Toshitsugu Sueki, Shogo Esaki, Isao Tanaka, Yukinori Koyama, Katsuhisa Tanaka, Koji Fujita, Shunsuke Murai