Patents by Inventor Kunio Matsubara
Kunio Matsubara 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: 11955791Abstract: A short-circuit detector includes: a first Rogowski coil configured to generate a first detection signal in accordance with a current that flows through a first arm due to a short circuit in a load; a second Rogowski coil configured to generate a second detection signal in accordance with a current that flows through the first arm due to a short circuit in the first arm or a second arm; a load short-circuit detection circuit configured to detect the short circuit in the load, based on the first detection signal; an arm short-circuit detection circuit configured to detect the short circuit in the first arm or the second arm, based on the second detection signal; and a short-circuit detection circuit configured to detect a short-circuit, based on: an output signal output from the load short-circuit detection circuit; and an output signal output from the arm short-circuit detection circuit.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2022Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Natsuko Takeuchi, Kunio Matsubara, Hiromu Takubo
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Patent number: 11894837Abstract: Provided is a gate driving apparatus, including: a gate driving unit for driving a gate of a switching device; a switching unit for switching a gate current of the switching device during, within a turn-on period of the switching device, at least a part of the period, which is after timing when a current starts to flow in the switching device, to a smaller current when compared to the gate current before at least a part of the period.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2021Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventor: Kunio Matsubara
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Patent number: 11835594Abstract: A short circuit detector is included in a power converter, the power converter being configured to supply power to a load via a first arm including a first semiconductor switch and a second arm including a second semiconductor switch. The short circuit detector includes a Rogowski coil; and a detection circuit configured to detect a short circuit in one of the first arm, the second arm and the load, based on a detection signal obtained from the Rogowski coil. The Rogowski coil is inserted into both: (i) first current path through which a first current flows in common with the first arm and the load, and (ii) a second current path through which a second current flows in common with the second arm and the load.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2021Date of Patent: December 5, 2023Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Kunio Matsubara, Ryoga Kiguchi
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Patent number: 11500015Abstract: Provided is a short-circuit determining apparatus comprising: a sensor configured to detect a time change of a main current flowing between a first main terminal and a second main terminal of a switching device having a control terminal, the first main terminal and the second main terminal; an integration unit configured to integrate an output of the sensor; a polarity determining unit configured to determine a polarity of the output of the sensor; and a short-circuit determining unit configured to determine a short-circuit of the switching device, based on a comparison result of an output of the integration unit and a short-circuit determination reference value according to a determination result of the polarity.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2021Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Ryoga Kiguchi, Kunio Matsubara
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Publication number: 20220268854Abstract: A short circuit detector is included in a power converter, the power converter being configured to supply power to a load via a first arm including a first semiconductor switch and a second arm including a second semiconductor switch. The short circuit detector includes a Rogowski coil; and a detection circuit configured to detect a short circuit in one of the first arm, the second arm and the load, based on a detection signal obtained from the Rogowski coil. The Rogowski coil is inserted into both: (i) first current path through which a first current flows in common with the first arm and the load, and (ii) a second current path through which a second current flows in common with the second arm and the load.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2021Publication date: August 25, 2022Applicant: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Kunio MATSUBARA, Ryoga KIGUCHI
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Publication number: 20220190590Abstract: A short-circuit detector includes: a first Rogowski coil configured to generate a first detection signal in accordance with a current that flows through a first arm due to a short circuit in a load; a second Rogowski coil configured to generate a second detection signal in accordance with a current that flows through the first arm due to a short circuit in the first arm or a second arm; a load short-circuit detection circuit configured to detect the short circuit in the load, based on the first detection signal; an arm short-circuit detection circuit configured to detect the short circuit in the first arm or the second arm, based on the second detection signal; and a short-circuit detection circuit configured to detect a short-circuit, based on: an output signal output from the load short-circuit detection circuit; and an output signal output from the arm short-circuit detection circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2022Publication date: June 16, 2022Applicant: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Natsuko TAKEUCHI, Kunio MATSUBARA, Hiromu TAKUBO
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Publication number: 20220179011Abstract: There is provided a short circuit determination apparatus including: a sensor configured to detect, in a switching device that has a control terminal, a first main terminal, and a second main terminal, a temporal change of a main current flowing between the first main terminal and the second main terminal; and a short circuit determination unit configured to determine that the switching device is short-circuited, in a case where the temporal change of the main current is larger than or equal to a first threshold value, after a first timing after a control signal for driving the control terminal is turned on.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2022Publication date: June 9, 2022Inventors: Kunio MATSUBARA, Ryoga KIGUCHI
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Patent number: 11329644Abstract: A gate drive apparatus is provided. The gate drive apparatus includes a gate drive unit configured to drive a gate of a switching device; a parameter measuring unit configured to measure a parameter corresponding to current flowing through the switching device; a discrepancy detection unit configured to detect discrepancy between current flowing through the switching device during an on-state of the switching device and a reference value, based on the parameter; and a control unit that, if the discrepancy is not detected, switches a change speed of a gate voltage of the switching device at a timing when a reference time has elapsed since a turn-off start of the switching device during a next turn-off time period of the switching device, and if the discrepancy is detected, keeps the change speed of the gate voltage during the next turn-off time period of the switching device.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2020Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Tsuyoshi Nagano, Kunio Matsubara
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Patent number: 11329645Abstract: A driving apparatus including: gate driving circuit to drive gates of a first semiconductor element and a second semiconductor element connected in series between a positive side power supply line and a negative side power supply line; a first timing generating circuit to generate a first timing signal when voltage applied to the second semiconductor element becomes reference voltage during a turn-off period of the first semiconductor element; and a first driving condition change circuit, wherein the gate driving circuit relaxes change in a charge amount of the gate of the first semiconductor element, according to the first timing signal.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2021Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Kunio Matsubara, Hirotoshi Kaneda
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Patent number: 11316248Abstract: The scanning antenna includes a TFT substrate, a slot substrate including a slot electrode, a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate, and a reflective conductive plate. Each of the plurality of antenna units includes a TFT, a patch electrode electrically connected to the drain of the TFT, a slot formed in the slot electrode corresponding to the patch electrode, and a first region in which the patch electrode and the slot electrode overlap each other when viewed from the normal direction of the first dielectric substrate. A distance in the normal direction of the first dielectric substrate between the patch electrode and the slot electrode of the plurality of second antenna units is smaller than a distance in the normal direction of the first dielectric substrate between the patch electrode and the slot electrode of the plurality of first antenna units.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2019Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kunio Matsubara, Katsunori Misaki
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Patent number: 11271560Abstract: Provided is a gate drive device, including: a gate drive unit for driving a gate of a switching element; a measurement unit for measuring a parameter that changes according to a current flowing through the switching element; and a switching unit for switching a changing speed of a gate voltage of the switching element by the gate driving unit after a first reference period from a start of turning off the switching element based on the parameter.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2021Date of Patent: March 8, 2022Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Kunio Matsubara, Tsuyoshi Nagano
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Publication number: 20220003816Abstract: Provided is a short-circuit determining apparatus comprising: a sensor configured to detect a time change of a main current flowing between a first main terminal and a second main terminal of a switching device having a control terminal, the first main terminal and the second main terminal; an integration unit configured to integrate an output of the sensor; a polarity determining unit configured to determine a polarity of the output of the sensor; and a short-circuit determining unit configured to determine a short-circuit of the switching device, based on a comparison result of an output of the integration unit and a short-circuit determination reference value according to a determination result of the polarity.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2021Publication date: January 6, 2022Inventors: Ryoga KIGUCHI, Kunio MATSUBARA
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Patent number: 11217611Abstract: A scanning antenna provided with an array of a plurality of antenna units includes a transmission and/or reception region including the plurality of antenna units, and a non-transmission and/or reception region other than the transmission and/or reception region. The scanning antenna includes a TFT substrate including a first dielectric substrate, a slot substrate including a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode supported by a first main surface of the second dielectric substrate, a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate, and a reflective conductive plate disposed facing a second main surface of the second dielectric substrate opposite to the first main surface with a dielectric layer interposed between the reflective conductive plate and the second main surface.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2020Date of Patent: January 4, 2022Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Katsunori Misaki, Kunio Matsubara, Yohji Taniguchi
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Patent number: 11205948Abstract: A gate driver includes: a timing determination unit configured to measure an on-time of a switching element and configured to determine, based on the on-time, a certain timing during a turn-off period of the switching element as an intermediate timing; and a driving condition changing unit configured to change a gate driving condition of the switching element at the intermediate timing determined by the timing determination unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2020Date of Patent: December 21, 2021Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Tsuyoshi Nagano, Kunio Matsubara
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Patent number: 11196336Abstract: A gate drive apparatus including a gate drive unit configured to drive a gate of a switching device, a peak detection unit configured to detect that a voltage across main terminals applied between the main terminals of the switching device during a turn-off period of the switching device is at a peak, and a driving condition changing unit configured to increase a change speed of a gate voltage of the switching device caused by the gate drive unit, in response to a detection that the voltage across main terminals is at a peak.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2021Date of Patent: December 7, 2021Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Tsuyoshi Nagano, Kunio Matsubara
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Publication number: 20210376826Abstract: Provided is a gate driving apparatus, including: a gate driving unit for driving a gate of a switching device; a switching unit for switching a gate current of the switching device during, within a turn-on period of the switching device, at least a part of the period, which is after timing when a current starts to flow in the switching device, to a smaller current when compared to the gate current before at least a part of the period.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2021Publication date: December 2, 2021Inventor: Kunio MATSUBARA
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Patent number: 11152933Abstract: A gate driver includes: a drive circuit configured to drive, in accordance with an input signal that commands to turn on/off a switching element connected between high and low power supply potential parts, a gate of the switching element; a time storage circuit configured to store a time length from when the input signal is switched to an on command to when a recovery surge voltage generated by a diode that is opposite to the switching element is detected; a switching determination circuit configured to determine, in accordance with a detected value of a power supply voltage, whether to switch a gate driving condition; and a driving condition change circuit configured to change, in accordance with a determination result of the switching determination circuit, the gate driving condition at a time of current turn-on by the time length stored at a time of previous turn-on.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2020Date of Patent: October 19, 2021Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventor: Kunio Matsubara
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Patent number: 11115017Abstract: Provided is a driving apparatus that includes a gate driving circuit that turns off a first semiconductor element upon receiving a turn-off signal, a measuring circuit that measures a parameter according to a voltage applied to the second semiconductor element, a timing generating circuit that generates a timing signal if the parameter satisfies a first condition during a time period in which the first semiconductor element is tuned off; and a driving condition change circuit that, in response to the timing signal, further decreases a changing speed of a gate voltage of the first semiconductor element than a reference speed during the time period in which the first semiconductor element is tuned off, wherein the gate driving circuit turns off the first semiconductor element in response to that the parameter satisfies a second condition during a time period in which the first semiconductor element is tuned on.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2020Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Kunio Matsubara, Tsuyoshi Nagano
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Patent number: 11056965Abstract: A gate driver for driving a gate of a switching element in accordance with an input signal is provided. The gate driver is configured to change a gate driving condition in accordance with a detected value of power supply voltage. Each time when the switching element is turned off, the gate driver stores a time width from a time when the input signal is switched to an off command to a time when switch-off surge occurs in the switching device. If it is determined that the gate driving condition should be changed during turn-off operation of the switching element, the gate driver switches the gate driving condition when a time corresponding to the time width stored at a previous turn-off is elapsed after a current turn-off of the switching element is started.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2020Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Kunio Matsubara, Tsuyoshi Nagano
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Publication number: 20210184670Abstract: Provided is a gate drive device, including: a gate drive unit for driving a gate of a switching element; a measurement unit for measuring a parameter that changes according to a current flowing through the switching element; and a switching unit for switching a changing speed of a gate voltage of the switching element by the gate driving unit after a first reference period from a start of turning off the switching element based on the parameter.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2021Publication date: June 17, 2021Inventors: Kunio MATSUBARA, Tsuyoshi NAGANO