Patents by Inventor Masakazu Habu

Masakazu Habu 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: 11780344
    Abstract: A management apparatus is configured to adjust an upper limit amount of electric power for charging. The management apparatus may be provided in an electric vehicle or a charging apparatus. The management apparatus may include a dial for adjusting the upper limit amount of electric power, and a user may be able to adjust the upper limit amount of electric power by operating the dial. A user who drives 300 km per week for commute may set the amount of electric power corresponding to 300 km (plus extra travel distance) for the upper limit amount of electric power. The user may connect a battery to the charging apparatus on weekends. When the battery has a capacity to store the amount of electric power corresponding to, for example, 500 km, the management apparatus may stop charging when the battery is charged with the set upper limit amount of electric power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoichi Onishi, Makoto Kakuchi, Masashi Takahashi, Masakazu Habu, Kenji Kimura
  • Publication number: 20230291212
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a forcible disconnecting unit configured to forcibly disconnect a battery in a battery module from series regardless of a gate drive signal. The power supply system obtains the number of batteries included in the battery modules which can be forcibly disconnected from the series according to the maximum voltage of the batteries that can be connected in the series and a voltage command value indicating a voltage to be output, and forcibly disconnects the obtained number of the batteries from the series by the forcible disconnecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2022
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takuya MIZUNO, Shuji TOMURA, Naoki YANAGIZAWA, Kazuo OOTSUKA, Hiroshi TSUKADA, Junta IZUMI, Masakazu HABU, Kenji KIMURA, Hironori MIKI, Yasuhiro ENDO, Takayuki BAN
  • Patent number: 11610258
    Abstract: A computer of an auction system presents vehicle body quality information indicating a quality of a vehicle body excluding a battery of an electric vehicle and battery quality information, and receives an electric vehicle bid price, a vehicle body bid price, and a battery bid price. When a total of the vehicle body bid price and the battery bid price exceeds the electric vehicle bid price, the computer determines a battery purchase applicant who presents the battery bid price as a winning bidder of the battery, and a vehicle body purchase applicant who presents the vehicle body bid price as a winning bidder of the vehicle body. When the total is lower than the electric vehicle bid price, the computer determines an electric vehicle purchase applicant who presents the electric vehicle bid price as a winning bidder of the electric vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masashi Takahashi, Makoto Kakuchi, Yoichi Onishi, Kenji Kimura, Masakazu Habu
  • Publication number: 20230033847
    Abstract: A battery pack according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of battery blocks, the battery blocks being arrayed adjacent to each other in a stacking direction that is set in advance. After two or more of the battery blocks are replaced with multiple replacement battery blocks that have been refreshed in advance, multiple non-replacement battery blocks, among the battery blocks, that have not been replaced with the replacement battery blocks, are adjacent to each other in the stacking direction, and the replacement battery blocks are adjacent to each other in the stacking direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masakazu HABU, Koichi ICHIKAWA, Juni YASOSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20220305925
    Abstract: A battery cellar includes: battery groups each including a plurality of batteries; a power converter (AC/DC converter and DC/DC converter) electrically connected between the plurality of batteries and an electric power system, the power converter being capable of bidirectional power conversion; and a server that controls operation of the power converter in accordance with a DR request from the electric power system, to cause charging and discharging of a plurality of batteries. The server suppresses charging and discharging of batteries of a rank representing a smaller degree of battery degradation, relative to charging and discharging of batteries of a rank representing a greater degree of battery degradation. Proper inventory of batteries of a higher rank can thus be ensured.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Kenji KIMURA, Masakazu HABU, Masanosuke SUFU, Makito MURAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20220311261
    Abstract: The battery cellar includes a storage cabinet that stores a plurality of batteries, a power converter (an AC/DC converter and a DC/DC converter) electrically connected between the plurality of batteries stored in the storage cabinet and a power system to perform a bidirectional power conversion operation, and a server that controls the power converter to charge or discharge the plurality of batteries in response to a DR request from the power system. The server, based on a level of demand determined in accordance with a rank related to a degradation degree of a battery, suppresses the charging/discharging of a battery with a higher demand rank among the plurality of batteries as compared with the charging/discharging of a battery with a lower demand rank among the plurality of batteries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Kenji KIMURA, Masakazu HABU, Masanosuke SUFU, Makito MURAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20220311248
    Abstract: A battery cellar includes: battery groups each including a plurality of batteries; a power converter (AC/DC converter and DC/DC converter) electrically connected between the plurality of batteries and an electric power system; and a server that controls operation of the power converter in accordance with a DR request from the electric power system, to cause charging and discharging of the plurality of batteries. The battery groups include a low operating group and a high operating group that is less than or equal to the low operating group in terms of the number of types of ranks of batteries included in each battery group, where the ranks each represent a degree of battery degradation. The server suppresses charging and discharging of the plurality of batteries included in the low operating group, relative to charging and discharging of the plurality of batteries included in the high operating group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Kenji KIMURA, Masakazu HABU, Masanosuke SUFU, Makito MURAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20220308120
    Abstract: The battery cellar includes a storage cabinet that stores a plurality of used batteries, a power converter (an AC/DC converter and a DC/DC converter) electrically connected between the plurality of used batteries stored in the storage cabinet and a power system, and a server that controls the power converter to charge or discharge the plurality of batteries in response to a demand response request from the power system. The server selects, from the plurality of used batteries, a first battery, the degradation degree of which has reached a reference value, and a second battery, the degradation degree of which does not reach the reference value but is predicted to reach the reference value within a predetermined period, as replacement target batteries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Kenji KIMURA, Masakazu HABU, Masanosuke SUFU, Makito MURAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20220311063
    Abstract: The battery cellar includes a storage cabinet that stores a plurality of batteries, an AC/DC converter and a DC/DC converter electrically connected between the plurality of used batteries stored in the storage cabinet and a power system, and a server that controls the AC/DC converter and the DC/DC converter. The server controls the AC/DC converter and the DC/DC converter in response to a demand response request from the power system, and evaluates a degradation degree of each of the plurality of used batteries based on a voltage and a current of each of the plurality of used batteries charged or discharged by the AC/DC converter and the DC/DC converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Kenji KIMURA, Masakazu HABU, Masanosuke SUFU, Makito MURAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20220255329
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a power supply circuit that includes a plurality of battery modules, each of which has a battery. The power supply circuit is configured such that the batteries in the battery modules are connected to each other in series in response to a gate driving signal from a controller. An alternating current voltage having a different phase is output by temporally changing the number of the batteries connected in series in each of a plurality of power supply circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Naoki Yanagizawa, Teckchiang Goh, Kazuo Ootsuka, Hiroshi Tsukada, Shuji Tomura, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Junichi Matsumoto, Masakazu Habu
  • Publication number: 20220123562
    Abstract: A power supply device includes: a first high-voltage line for exchanging the electric power externally; a second high-voltage line for applying current flowing in a direction opposite to the first high-voltage line; a plurality of batteries; a plurality of SUs, the SUs being provided corresponding to the respective batteries, switching a connection state of the batteries to the first high-voltage line, and being disposed in a circle; and an SCU that controls the SUs. The SU can switch between a first state in which the battery corresponding to the SU is connected in series to the first high-voltage line and a second state in which the battery is not connected to the first high-voltage line. The SCU controls the SUs to switch to the first state or the second state in accordance with a voltage of the electric power to be charged and discharged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Kenji KIMURA, Masakazu HABU, Hiroshi TSUKADA, Atsuhiro TAKAHASHI, Takashi KOJIMA, Shuji TOMURA, Kazuo OOTSUKA, Naoki YANAGIZAWA, Kyosuke TANEMURA
  • Publication number: 20220108386
    Abstract: A computer of an auction system presents vehicle body quality information indicating a quality of a vehicle body excluding a battery of an electric vehicle and battery quality information, and receives an electric vehicle bid price, a vehicle body bid price, and a battery bid price. When a total of the vehicle body bid price and the battery bid price exceeds the electric vehicle bid price, the computer determines a battery purchase applicant who presents the battery bid price as a winning bidder of the battery, and a vehicle body purchase applicant who presents the vehicle body bid price as a winning bidder of the vehicle body. When the total is lower than the electric vehicle bid price, the computer determines an electric vehicle purchase applicant who presents the electric vehicle bid price as a winning bidder of the electric vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masashi TAKAHASHI, Makoto KAKUCHI, Yoichi ONISHI, Kenji KIMURA, Masakazu HABU
  • Publication number: 20220097546
    Abstract: A management apparatus is configured to adjust an upper limit amount of electric power for charging. The management apparatus may be provided in an electric vehicle or a charging apparatus. The management apparatus may include a dial for adjusting the upper limit amount of electric power, and a user may be able to adjust the upper limit amount of electric power by operating the dial. A user who drives 300 km per week for commute may set the amount of electric power corresponding to 300 km (plus extra travel distance) for the upper limit amount of electric power. The user may connect a battery to the charging apparatus on weekends. When the battery has a capacity to store the amount of electric power corresponding to, for example, 500 km, the management apparatus may stop charging when the battery is charged with the set upper limit amount of electric power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoichi ONISHI, Makoto KAKUCHI, Masashi TAKAHASHI, Masakazu HABU, Kenji KIMURA
  • Patent number: 10505238
    Abstract: A cooling system includes a cooling fan that blows cooled air to a main battery and a temperature sensor. When the temperature of the main battery is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature after start up of an electric drive vehicle, the cooling fan is driven with a constant command value for a predetermined time period and detection process of abnormal condition is performed for detecting presence or absence of abnormal condition of the cooling fan based on an actual rotation speed of the cooling fan. When the start up of the electric drive vehicle is based on an external charging operation of the secondary battery, driving of the cooling fan with the constant command value is inhibited. This structure ensures sufficient opportunities for detecting presence or absence of abnormal condition of the cooling fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta Izumi, Noritaka Ikejiri, Kiyoe Ochiai, Kiyohito Machida, Masakazu Habu
  • Patent number: 10403942
    Abstract: A cooling system for cooling a main battery 10 includes a cooling fan 40 and a temperature sensor 61 configured to detect a battery temperature TB. The cooling system performs constant control in which the cooling fan 40 is driven at a constant command value when the battery temperature TB reaches or exceeds a first temperature T0 after startup of the electrically powered vehicle. Additionally, the cooling system detects whether or not a malfunction occurs in the cooling fan 40, based on an actual rpm of the cooling fan 40 obtained during the constant control. The cooling system performs the constant control in a situation in which charging of the main battery 10 is continued for a predetermined period of time or longer after the startup of the vehicle, regardless of whether the battery temperature TB is below the first temperature T0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta Izumi, Kiyohito Machida, Masakazu Habu, Kiyoe Ochiai
  • Patent number: 10381695
    Abstract: A secondary battery is installed on an electric vehicle and includes a cooling fan, a temperature sensor and a controller. The controller is configured to drive the cooling fan at a fixed command value for a predetermined period, when the temperature of the secondary battery becomes equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature after the electric vehicle is started. The controller is configured to detect a presence or absence of an abnormality in the cooling fan based on an actual rotational speed of the cooling fan during the predetermined period. The controller is configured to inhibit driving of the cooling fan at the fixed command value when the temperature of the secondary battery is equal to or higher than a second predetermined temperature that is higher than the first predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyoe Ochiai, Junta Izumi, Kiyohito Machida, Masakazu Habu
  • Patent number: 10297883
    Abstract: If the battery temperature TB of the main battery is equal to or higher than the first temperature T0 and a noise level within a vehicle interior is equal to or higher than a predetermined value Lo during inhibition of the first constant control under a predetermined condition, the cooling system performs second constant control for driving the cooling fan with a second command value D3 and also performs the problem detection processing based on an actual rotation rate of the cooling fan during the second constant control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta Izumi, Kiyohito Machida, Masakazu Habu, Kiyoe Ochiai
  • Publication number: 20160301114
    Abstract: A cooling system for cooling a main battery 10 includes a cooling fan 40 and a temperature sensor 61 configured to detect a battery temperature TB. The cooling system performs constant control in which the cooling fan 40 is driven at a constant command value when the battery temperature TB reaches or exceeds a first temperature T0 after startup of the electrically powered vehicle. Additionally, the cooling system detects whether or not a malfunction occurs in the cooling fan 40, based on an actual rpm of the cooling fan 40 obtained during the constant control. The cooling system performs the constant control in a situation in which charging of the main battery 10 is continued for a predetermined period of time or longer after the startup of the vehicle, regardless of whether the battery temperature TB is below the first temperature T0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Kiyohito MACHIDA, Masakazu HABU, Kiyoe OCHIAI
  • Publication number: 20160301116
    Abstract: A secondary battery is installed on an electric vehicle and includes a cooling fan, a temperature sensor and a controller. The controller is configured to drive the cooling fan at a fixed command value for a predetermined period, when the temperature of the secondary battery becomes equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature after the electric vehicle is started. The controller is configured to detect a presence or absence of an abnormality in the cooling fan based on an actual rotational speed of the cooling fan during the predetermined period. The controller is configured to inhibit driving of the cooling fan at the fixed command value when the temperature of the secondary battery is equal to or higher than a second predetermined temperature that is higher than the first predetermined temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyoe OCHIAI, Junta IZUMI, Kiyohito MACHIDA, Masakazu HABU
  • Publication number: 20160301115
    Abstract: A cooling system includes a cooling fan that blows cooled air to a main battery and a temperature sensor. When the temperature of the main battery is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature after start up of an electric drive vehicle, the cooling fan is driven with a constant command value for a predetermined time period and detection process of abnormal condition is performed for detecting presence or absence of abnormal condition of the cooling fan based on an actual rotation speed of the cooling fan. When the start up of the electric drive vehicle is based on an external charging operation of the secondary battery, driving of the cooling fan with the constant command value is inhibited. This structure ensures sufficient opportunities for detecting presence or absence of abnormal condition of the cooling fan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Noritaka IKEJIRI, Kiyoe OCHIAI, Kiyohito MACHIDA, Masakazu HABU