Patents by Inventor Masafumi Uchihara

Masafumi Uchihara 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: 10155510
    Abstract: When it is judged that a downward slope segment exists in a scheduled traveling route, the control device of a hybrid vehicle sets a target remaining capacity SOC* in a pre-use segment in a downward slope segment and the downward slope segment to a “low-side remaining capacity Sd which is ?Sd smaller than a standard remaining capacity Sn.” Furthermore, when it is presumed that a rise amount of a remaining capacity by an extended regeneration control is large in the pre-use segment and the downward slope segment, the target remaining capacity SOC* is set to a “low-side remaining capacity Sd which is a sum of ?Sd and ?S1 smaller than the standard remaining capacity Sn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyomi Nagamiya, Yasuhiro Tajima, Haruki Oguri, Masafumi Uchihara, Shigeki Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9871402
    Abstract: Assuming that a transformer has a primary to secondary winding turn ratio 1:N, VR denotes a voltage of regenerated power, VCd denotes a discharge final voltage of a first battery connected with a transformer-primary-side center tap, VCc denotes a charge final voltage of the first battery, VBd denotes a discharge final voltage of a second battery connected with a transformer-secondary-side full bridge circuit, VBc denotes a charge final voltage of the second battery and Drain denotes a lower limit of a duty ratio D of a transformer-primary-side full bridge circuit, an apparatus determines upon (VBd/N)?VR?(VBc/N) that the first and second batteries may be able to be charged with regenerated power and determines upon VCd?VR?(VCc/Dmin) that the first battery may be able to be charged with the regenerated power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto Hasegawa, Shoichi Shono, Masafumi Uchihara, Mitsuhiro Miura, Fumiki Tanahashi, Jun Muto
  • Patent number: 9793791
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes a transformer; a primary side full bridge circuit provided on a primary side of the transformer; a first port connected to the primary side full bridge circuit; a second port connected to a center tap of the primary side of the transformer; a secondary side full bridge circuit provided on a secondary side of the transformer; a third port connected to the secondary side full bridge circuit; and a control unit configured to cause an upper arm of the secondary side full bridge circuit to operate in an active region in a case where a capacitor connected to the third port is charged with a transmitted power transmitted to the secondary side full bridge circuit via the transformer from the primary side full bridge circuit when power of the second port is stepped up and the stepped up power is output to the first port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoichi Shono, Masafumi Uchihara, Naoto Hasegawa, Mitsuhiro Miura, Fumiki Tanahashi, Jun Muto
  • Patent number: 9748833
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes a transformer; a primary side full bridge circuit provided on a primary side of the transformer; a first port connected to the primary side full bridge circuit; a second port connected to a center tap of the primary side of the transformer; a secondary side full bridge circuit provided on a secondary side of the transformer; a third port connected to the secondary side full bridge circuit; and a control unit configured to cause an upper arm of the secondary side full bridge circuit to operate in an active region in a case where a capacitor connected to the third port is charged with a transmitted power transmitted to the secondary side full bridge circuit via the transformer from the primary side full bridge circuit when power of the second port is stepped up and the stepped up power is output to the first port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoichi Shono, Masafumi Uchihara, Naoto Hasegawa, Mitsuhiro Miura, Fumiki Tanahashi, Jun Muto
  • Patent number: 9705410
    Abstract: Phase differences between primary-side series-connected first and second arms and secondary-side series-connected fifth and sixth arms and between primary-side series-connected third and fourth arms and secondary-side series-connected seventh and eighth arms are controlled for power being transmitted from the secondary side to the primary side. Turn-off of the fifth arm is corrected to cause an integrating result of a secondary coil current for an interval delayed by a current sensor response delay from an interval between turn-off of the first arm and turn-on of the seventh arm to approach zero, or turn-off of the seventh arm is corrected to cause an integrating result of the secondary coil current for an interval delayed by the response delay from an interval between turn-off of the third arm and turn-on of the fifth arm to approach zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Kazuyuki Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20170144650
    Abstract: When it is judged that a downward slope segment exists in a scheduled traveling route, the control device of a hybrid vehicle sets a target remaining capacity SOC* in a pre-use segment in a downward slope segment and the downward slope segment to a “low-side remaining capacity Sd which is ?Sd smaller than a standard remaining capacity Sn” (step S105). Furthermore, when it is presumed that a rise amount of a remaining capacity by an extended regeneration control is large in the pre-use segment and the downward slope segment (refer to a judgment as “Yes” in step S104), the target remaining capacity SOC* is set to a “low-side remaining capacity Sd which is a sum of ?Sd and ?S1 smaller than the standard remaining capacity Sn” (step S106).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyomi NAGAMIYA, Yasuhiro TAJIMA, Haruki OGURI, Masafumi UCHIHARA, Shigeki MATSUMOTO
  • Patent number: 9610934
    Abstract: It is provided a control device of a hybrid vehicle including a plurality of drive power sources for running including an electric motor driven by electric energy of an electric storage device, the hybrid vehicle configured to perform motor running or assist running using the electric motor for running, the control device being configured to divide a running road acquired from map data into a plurality of sections and stores a change amount of a charged capacity of the electric storage device for each of the divided sections, to acquire all possibly-traveled running routes within a predetermined distance from a current position of the vehicle based on the map data, to calculate a variation characteristic of the charged capacity in correlation with a distance from the current position for each of the running routes based on the change amount of the charged capacity, if it is determined from the variation characteristic of the charged capacity that the possibly-traveled running routes include at least one runni
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Tomohiro Usami, Mariko Kanai
  • Patent number: 9590515
    Abstract: There is provided a electric power conversion method of an electric power conversion apparatus comprising: charging the capacitor by transmitting the electric power from the primary circuit to the secondary circuit; and determining whether a voltage across the capacitor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; the electric power conversion method further comprising, upon determining that the voltage across the capacitor is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, stopping to drive the primary circuit; driving the first secondary upper arm or the second secondary upper arm; and detecting whether a short-circuiting failure occurs in the first secondary lower arm or in the second secondary lower arm based on a presence or absence of change in a voltage at the secondary port in response to driving the first secondary upper arm or the second secondary upper arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Kazuyuki Sasaki, Tomohiro Usami
  • Publication number: 20160211758
    Abstract: Phase differences between primary-side series-connected first and second arms and secondary-side series-connected fifth and sixth arms and between primary-side series-connected third and fourth arms and secondary-side series-connected seventh and eighth arms are controlled for power being transmitted from the secondary side to the primary side. Turn-off of the fifth arm is corrected to cause an integrating result of a secondary coil current for an interval delayed by a current sensor response delay from an interval between turn-off of the first arm and turn-on of the seventh arm to approach zero, or turn-off of the seventh arm is corrected to cause an integrating result of the secondary coil current for an interval delayed by the response delay from an interval between turn-off of the third arm and turn-on of the fifth arm to approach zero.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masafumi UCHIHARA, Kazuyuki SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20160190944
    Abstract: There is provided a electric power conversion method of an electric power conversion apparatus comprising: charging the capacitor by transmitting the electric power from the primary circuit to the secondary circuit; and determining whether a voltage across the capacitor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; the electric power conversion method further comprising, upon determining that the voltage across the capacitor is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, stopping to drive the primary circuit; driving the first secondary upper arm or the second secondary upper arm; and detecting whether a short-circuiting failure occurs in the first secondary lower arm or in the second secondary lower arm based on a presence or absence of change in a voltage at the secondary port in response to driving the first secondary upper arm or the second secondary upper arm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Kazuyuki Sasaki, Tomohiro Usami
  • Publication number: 20150295445
    Abstract: Assuming that a transformer has a primary to secondary winding turn ratio 1:N, VR denotes a voltage of regenerated power, VCd denotes a discharge final voltage of a first battery connected with a transformer-primary-side center tap, VCc denotes a charge final voltage of the first battery, VBd denotes a discharge final voltage of a second battery connected with a transformer-secondary-side full bridge circuit, VBc denotes a charge final voltage of the second battery and Drain denotes a lower limit of a duty ratio D of a transformer-primary-side full bridge circuit, an apparatus determines upon (VBd/N)?VR?(VBc/N) that the first and second batteries may be able to be charged with regenerated power and determines upon VCd?VR?(VCc/Dmin) that the first battery may be able to be charged with the regenerated power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto HASEGAWA, Shoichi SHONO, Masafumi UCHIHARA, Mitsuhiro MIURA, Fumiki TANAHASHI, Jun MUTO
  • Publication number: 20150295504
    Abstract: An electric power conversion apparatus includes a transformer having a primary coil and a secondary coil; a primary-side full bridge circuit having first and second arm circuits in parallel, respective midpoints of the first and second arm circuits being connected via the primary coil; a secondary-side full bridge circuit having third and fourth arm circuits in parallel, respective midpoints of the third and fourth arm circuits being connected via the secondary coil. The number of turns of the secondary coil between the latter respective midpoints is switched and transmission power transmitted between the primary-side and the secondary-side full bridge circuits is controlled through adjustment of a phase difference in switching between the first arm circuit and the third arm circuit and a phase difference in switching between the second arm circuit and the fourth arm circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2015
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Inventors: Fumiki TANAHASHI, Shoichi SHONO, Masafumi UCHIHARA, Naoto HASEGAWA, Mitsuhiro MIURA
  • Publication number: 20150263633
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes a transformer; a primary side full bridge circuit provided on a primary side of the transformer; a first port connected to the primary side full bridge circuit; a second port connected to a center tap of the primary side of the transformer; a secondary side full bridge circuit provided on a secondary side of the transformer; a third port connected to the secondary side full bridge circuit; and a control unit configured to cause an upper arm of the secondary side full bridge circuit to operate in an active region in a case where a capacitor connected to the third port is charged with a transmitted power transmitted to the secondary side full bridge circuit via the transformer from the primary side full bridge circuit when power of the second port is stepped up and the stepped up power is output to the first port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Inventors: Shoichi SHONO, Masafumi UCHIHARA, Naoto HASEGAWA, Mitsuhiro MIURA, Fumiki TANAHASHI, Jun MUTO
  • Patent number: 8825339
    Abstract: A vehicular drive control apparatus provided with pulse-driving and gliding means for setting upper limit Vhi and lower limit Vlo of running speed V of a vehicle according to an upper and lower vehicle speed limit maps, and on the basis of target running speed Vt which is the running speed V at a time when control initiating conditions have been satisfied, and running the vehicle in P & G running mode by alternately repeating pulse-driving run (accelerating run) and gliding run (decelerating run) of the vehicle at the running speed V varying between the set upper and lower limits Vhi and Vlo, the control initiating conditions including a condition that the vehicle is in a steady running state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoichi Shono, Yoshikazu Motozono, Masafumi Uchihara, Akihiro Ueda, JongGap Kim, Norimi Asahara
  • Publication number: 20130332020
    Abstract: It is provided a control device of a hybrid vehicle including a plurality of drive power sources for running including an electric motor driven by electric energy of an electric storage device, the hybrid vehicle configured to perform motor running or assist running using the electric motor for running, the control device being configured to divide a running road acquired from map data into a plurality of sections and stores a change amount of a charged capacity of the electric storage device for each of the divided sections, to acquire all possibly-traveled running routes within a predetermined distance from a current position of the vehicle based on the map data, to calculate a variation characteristic of the charged capacity in correlation with a distance from the current position for each of the running routes based on the change amount of the charged capacity, if it is determined from the variation characteristic of the charged capacity that the possibly-traveled running routes include at least one runni
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masafumi Uchihara, Tomohiro Usami, Mariko Kanai
  • Patent number: 8593340
    Abstract: The inter-mobile body carrier phase positioning device according to the invention includes: a first observation data acquisition means that acquires observation data concerning a phase accumulation value observed in a first mobile body; a second observation data acquisition means that acquires observation data concerning a phase accumulation value observed in a second mobile body; a satellite pair determination means that determines pairs of satellites used for carrier phase positioning; and a carrier phase positioning means that takes, between each of the pairs of the satellites determined by the satellite pair determination means, a single or double difference between the observation data acquired by the first observation data acquisition means and the observation data acquired by the second observation data acquisition means, and determines relative positional relation between the first mobile body and the second mobile body by carrier phase positioning using the single or double difference of the observat
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Tajima, Kazunori Kagawa, Masafumi Uchihara
  • Publication number: 20130211686
    Abstract: A vehicular drive control apparatus provided with pulse-driving and gliding means 118 for setting upper limit Vhi and lower limit Vlo of running speed V of a vehicle according to an upper and lower vehicle speed limit maps, and on the basis of target running speed Vt which is the running speed V at a time when control initiating conditions have been satisfied, and running the vehicle in P & G running mode by alternately repeating pulse-driving run (accelerating run) and gliding run (decelerating run) of the vehicle at the running speed V varying between the set upper and lower limits Vhi and Vlo, the control initiating conditions including a condition that the vehicle is in a steady running state. Accordingly, the pulse-driving and gliding means 118 permits the vehicle to be run in the P & G running mode, independently of an automatic cruising control, making it possible to improve fuel economy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoichi Shono, Yoshikazu Motozono, Masafumi Uchihara, Akihiro Ueda, JongGap Kim, Norimi Asahara
  • Patent number: 8423289
    Abstract: An inter-moving body interferometric positioning system for carrying out positioning in coordination with three or more moving bodies that can mutually communicate, including: a reference vehicle decision unit for deciding on a single moving body to function as a reference vehicle from among three or more moving bodies, and a positioning unit for interferometrically determining respective relative positions of other moving bodies relative to the reference moving body that is to function as a reference vehicle decided on by the reference moving body decision unit using satellite wave monitoring data monitored in each of the three or more moving bodies. This inter-moving body interferometric positioning system specifies relative positions among the other moving bodies using positioning results of the positioning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazunori Kagawa, Masafumi Uchihara, Yasuhiro Tajima
  • Patent number: 8291566
    Abstract: According to a work mounting method by the work transfer apparatus of the prior art, a glass plate or a work may fail to abut against a window frame homogeneously at its peripheral edge portion, and the adhesion strength or the sealing property between the glass plate and the window frame may not be retained all over the periphery of the adhered portion. Provided is a work transfer apparatus, which grips a rear glass by its gripping member and mounts the rear glass while pushing the gripped rear glass onto the window frame of a car body by the action of a supporting arm. The work transfer apparatus comprises a control device, and each of absorption pads of the gripping member includes a force detecting sensor for detecting the force to be applied to the absorption pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shozo Ushio, Hideyuki Murayama, Masafumi Uchihara
  • Patent number: 8259009
    Abstract: In a case in which three or more movable objects, each of those detecting the relative position with respect to another movable object, are able to communicate with each other: a reference movable object obtains observation data and transmits the observation data to non-reference movable objects; one non-reference movable object calculates the relative position with respect to the reference movable object by performing interferometric positioning using the observation data obtained by the observation data obtaining means and data including observation data received from the reference movable object, and also transmits data including an integer bias calculated as interferometric positioning results to another non-reference movable object and receives reliability determination results regarding the interferometric positioning; and the another non-reference movable object receives data including the integer bias from the one non-reference movable object and determines the reliability of the interferometric posit
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Tajima, Kazunori Kagawa, Masafumi Uchihara