Patents by Inventor Minoru Maedako

Minoru Maedako 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: 11912160
    Abstract: In an inverter generator controller, residual charge of a battery is detected and generated power output is detected. Then, low-load charging of the battery is implemented if the detected generated power output of the engine generator unit is equal to or greater than the detected load output demand and the detected generated power output of the engine generator unit is less than the predetermined low-load value a, when the detected residual charge of the battery is equal to or less than the first threshold value. When the detected residual charge of the battery becomes greater than the first threshold value, the low-load charging of the battery is terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Kiyohiro, Taiyo Onodera, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 11569767
    Abstract: In an output control of a hybrid-type engine generator equipped with a load output demand detecting unit, a load output demand increase/decrease determination unit and an output control unit, a configuration is adopted whereby load output demand from (output required by) the load is detected, increase/decrease of the detected load output demand is determined, discharge power from the battery is added to generated power output of the engine generator unit when detected load output demand is determined to be increasing, and output of the engine generator unit is controlled so as to use some generated power output of the engine generator unit as charge power of the battery when detected load output demand is determined to be decreasing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Kiyohiro, Taiyo Onodera, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 11476787
    Abstract: An inverter type engine generator includes an alternator; and a converter composed of the a three-phase rectifying bridge circuit including an upper and lower three sets of elements, and converting three-phase alternating current output from the alternator into direct current. The upper and lower three sets of elements of the three-phase rectifying bridge circuit of the converter are configured such that upper elements are configured at least from duty-controllable diode elements, and lower elements are configured at least from duty-controllable switching elements having diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Maedako, Toshio Inoue
  • Patent number: 11316457
    Abstract: An inverter type engine generator includes an alternator operable as a motor for starting an engine; a converter composed of a three-phase rectifying bridge circuit, converting three-phase alternating current output from the alternator into direct current, and operatable as a motor driver for driving the alternator when power is supplied from a power source; and a processor and a memory. The upper and lower three sets of elements of the three-phase rectifying bridge circuit of the converter are configured such that upper elements are configured from duty-controllable switching elements and thyristors connected in parallel therewith, and lower elements are configured from duty-controllable switching elements having diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Maedako, Toshio Inoue
  • Publication number: 20210313915
    Abstract: An inverter type engine generator includes an alternator operable as a motor for starting an engine; a converter composed of a three-phase rectifying bridge circuit, converting three-phase alternating current output from the alternator into direct current, and operatable as a motor driver for driving the alternator when power is supplied from a power source; and a processor and a memory. The upper and lower three sets of elements of the three-phase rectifying bridge circuit of the converter are configured such that upper elements are configured from duty-controllable switching elements and thyristors connected in parallel therewith, and lower elements are configured from duty-controllable switching elements having diodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Maedako, Toshio Inoue
  • Publication number: 20210297031
    Abstract: An inverter type engine generator includes an alternator; and a converter composed of the a three-phase rectifying bridge circuit including an upper and lower three sets of elements, and converting three-phase alternating current output from the alternator into direct current. The upper and lower three sets of elements of the three-phase rectifying bridge circuit of the converter are configured such that upper elements are configured at least from duty-controllable diode elements, and lower elements are configured at least from duty-controllable switching elements having diodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: Minoru Maedako, Toshio Inoue
  • Publication number: 20210023961
    Abstract: In an inverter generator controller, residual charge of a battery is detected and generated power output is detected. Then, low-load charging of the battery is implemented if the detected generated power output of the engine generator unit is equal to or greater than the detected load output demand and the detected generated power output of the engine generator unit is less than the predetermined low-load value a, when the detected residual charge of the battery is equal to or less than the first threshold value. When the detected residual charge of the battery becomes greater than the first threshold value, the low-load charging of the battery is terminated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Yukihiko Kiyohiro, Taiyo Onodera, Minoru Maedako
  • Publication number: 20210021218
    Abstract: In an output control of a hybrid-type engine generator equipped with a load output demand detecting unit, a load output demand increase/decrease determination unit and an output control unit, a configuration is adopted whereby load output demand from (output required by) the load is detected, increase/decrease of the detected load output demand is determined, discharge power from the battery is added to generated power output of the engine generator unit when detected load output demand is determined to be increasing, and output of the engine generator unit is controlled so as to use some generated power output of the engine generator unit as charge power of the battery when detected load output demand is determined to be decreasing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Inventors: Yukihiko Kiyohiro, Taiyo Onodera, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 10855083
    Abstract: A generator system, including first and second generators each having an inverter circuit outputting AC, a connection circuit connecting the generators through a power line, a master-slave determining unit determining one of the generators as a master generator, and to determine other of the generators as a slave generator, a data acquiring unit acquiring an output data of the master generator, and a synchronization controlling unit controlling switching operation of the inverter circuit of the slave generator based on the output data of the master generator to synchronize an output data of the slave generator with the output data of the master generator, wherein the master-slave determining unit determines one of the generators that starts earlier as the master generator, and when the generators start simultaneously, to determine one of the generators as the master generator in accordance with a predefined rule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Shibata, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Wataru Matsuyama, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 10763675
    Abstract: A power generator system, including a first generator and a second generator, a detector detecting a power of the first generator, a determinator determining whether a parallel operation of the first generator and the second generator is necessary based on a detection value detected by the detector when the first generator is operating and the second generator remains unstarted, a power supply unit supplying a starting power to the second generator to start the second generator when it is determined that the parallel operation is necessary, and a generator controller controlling operation of the second generator so as to operate synchronously in parallel with the first generator after the second generator is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Maedako, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Kenji Shibata, Wataru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 10724489
    Abstract: An engine-generator starting apparatus a three-phase winding equipped with a generating unit that rotates relative to rotation of a crankshaft of an engine, and an electronic control unit that controls supply of electric current the three-phase winding to rotate the crankshaft and start the engine. In the apparatus, the electronic control unit controls to supply first current to the three-phase winding to make the engine crankshaft of rotate reverse, the first current is of a level for stopping the piston connected to the crankshaft at a position in a compression stroke. Then it controls to supply second current (that is greater than the first current) to the three-phase winding to make the crankshaft of the engine rotate forward when a predetermined time period has elapsed, and control to ignite fuel supplied to the engine after the second current is supplied to the three-phase winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wataru Matsuyama, Yuichi Onoe, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Kenji Shibata, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 10697416
    Abstract: An engine generator, including an engine having a piston reciprocating inside a cylinder, a generator unit having a three-phase winding, driven by the engine to generate power and operating as an engine starter motor during engine starting, a power converter circuit connected to the generator unit, a battery supplying power to the generator unit through the power converter circuit during engine starting, an engine speed detection unit detecting an engine speed, a connection switching unit switching a connection configuration of the winding to one of a wye-connection and a delta-connection, and a connection switching control unit controlling the connection switching unit to switch the connection configuration to the wye-connection when the engine speed is lower than a predetermined engine speed, and to switch the connection configuration to the delta-connection when the engine speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined engine speed, during engine starting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wataru Matsuyama, Kenji Shibata, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 10541538
    Abstract: A power generator system, including a remaining fuel detector detecting a remaining fuel amount of each of the first generator and the second generator, an operable time calculator calculating a remaining operable time of the each of the first generator and the second generator based on the remaining fuel amount detected by the remaining fuel detector, and a signal output unit outputting a control signal for adjusting outputs of the first generator and second generator to an actuator so that the remaining operable time of the first generator and the remaining operable time of the second generator calculated by the operable time calculator is equalized while keeping a total power of the first generator and the second generator constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Maedako, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Kenji Shibata, Wataru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 10511209
    Abstract: An engine generator, including a general-purpose engine, a generator unit driven by the engine to generate electric power and capable of operating as an engine starter motor during engine starting, a case housing the engine and the generator unit, a battery detachably attached to the case, an inverter unit connected to the generator unit, and a power supply circuit interconnecting the battery attached to the case and the inverter unit and supplying power of the battery through the inverter unit to the generator unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Kenji Shibata, Wataru Matsuyama, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 10483890
    Abstract: An engine generator, including a general purpose engine, an engine speed of the engine being variably controlled, a generator unit having a three-phase winding and driven by the engine to generate power, an inverter unit converting AC output from the generator unit to AC of a predetermined frequency to output to a load, a connection switching unit switching a connection configuration of the winding to one of a wye-connection and a delta-connection, a load detection unit detecting a size of the load, and a connection switching control unit controlling the connection switching unit to switch the connection configuration to the wye-connection when the size of the load is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and to switch the connection configuration to the delta-connection when the size of the load is higher than the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wataru Matsuyama, Kenji Shibata, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 10418924
    Abstract: An engine generator, including a generator unit driven by the engine, a first power converter circuit, a capacitor, a second power converter circuit, a smoothing circuit, battery and a control unit. The control unit controls operation of the switching elements of the second power converter circuit so as to form a boosting circuit by the battery, the coil of the smoothing circuit, the switching element and the diode of the second power converter circuit, and the capacitor at starting of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Maedako, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Kenji Shibata, Wataru Matsuyama
  • Publication number: 20190242351
    Abstract: An engine-generator starting apparatus a three-phase winding equipped with a generating unit that rotates relative to rotation of a crankshaft of an engine, and an electronic control unit that controls supply of electric current the three-phase winding to rotate the crankshaft and start the engine. In the apparatus, the electronic control unit controls to supply first current to the three-phase winding to make the engine crankshaft of rotate reverse, the first current is of a level for stopping the piston connected to the crankshaft at a position in a compression stroke. Then it controls to supply second current (that is greater than the first current) to the three-phase winding to make the crankshaft of the engine rotate forward when a predetermined time period has elapsed, and control to ignite fuel supplied to the engine after the second current is supplied to the three-phase winding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventors: Wataru Matsuyama, Yuichi Onoe, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Kenji Shibata, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 10348097
    Abstract: A generator system, including first and second generators, a connection circuit connecting output lines of the first and second generators to each other and connecting neutral lines of the first and second generators to the ground, a switch command unit outputting commands to switch a connection mode of the first and second generators between parallel and series connection modes, a circuit switch switching a connection mode of the connection circuit in response to the commands, a data acquiring unit acquiring a waveform data of the first generator when the second generator is operated after the first generator is operated, and a control unit controlling the second generator to synchronize frequency and phase of waveforms of the first and second generators in the parallel connection mode and controlling the second generator to synchronize frequency and shift phase by 180 degree in the series connection mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Shibata, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Wataru Matsuyama, Minoru Maedako
  • Publication number: 20180287394
    Abstract: A generator system, including first and second generators each having an inverter circuit outputting AC, a connection circuit connecting the generators through a power line, a master-slave determining unit determining one of the generators as a master generator, and to determine other of the generators as a slave generator, a data acquiring unit acquiring an output data of the master generator, and a synchronization controlling unit controlling switching operation of the inverter circuit of the slave generator based on the output data of the master generator to synchronize an output data of the slave generator with the output data of the master generator, wherein the master-slave determining unit determines one of the generators that starts earlier as the master generator, and when the generators start simultaneously, to determine one of the generators as the master generator in accordance with a predefined rule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Kenji Shibata, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Wataru Matsuyama, Minoru Maedako
  • Publication number: 20180287392
    Abstract: A power generator system, including a first generator and a second generator, a detector detecting a power of the first generator, a determinator determining whether a parallel operation of the first generator and the second generator is necessary based on a detection value detected by the detector when the first generator is operating and the second generator remains unstarted, a power supply unit supplying a starting power to the second generator to start the second generator when it is determined that the parallel operation is necessary, and a generator controller controlling operation of the second generator so as to operate synchronously in parallel with the first generator after the second generator is started.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Minoru Maedako, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Kenji Shibata, Wataru Matsuyama