Patents by Inventor Motomichi Katou

Motomichi Katou 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: 20100279188
    Abstract: A fuel cell system of the present invention includes: a fuel cell (11) configured to generate electric power using a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas; an anode off gas channel (34) through which an anode off gas discharged from an anode (2a) of the fuel cell (11) flows; a gas-liquid separator (10) disposed on the anode off gas channel (34) to separate moisture from the anode off gas, and including a water reservoir (18) configured to store the separated moisture as water; a temperature detector (28) configured to detect a temperature of the water reservoir (18); and an operation allowing device (52) configured not to allow an operation of the fuel cell system in a case where the temperature detected by the temperature detector (28) is equal to or higher than a first threshold that is higher than a standard ambient temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Inventors: Shinji Miyauchi, Yoshikazu Tanaka, Hitoshi Oishi, Motomichi Katou
  • Publication number: 20100178575
    Abstract: A power generating system of the present invention includes: a package (70); a power generator (1); a combustible gas passage (23); a first device configured to operate by a first voltage using a DC power generated by the power generator (1); a second power supply circuit (13) configured to generate the DC power of the first voltage; a first connecting unit (8) arranged between the first device and the second power supply circuit (13); a control circuit (7) configured to control the first device using the DC power of the first voltage; and a first power supply circuit (11) configured to generate a power of a second voltage higher than the first voltage, and the package (70) is divided by a dividing wall (71) into a first space (72) in which the power generator (1), the combustible gas passage (23), the first device, the first connecting unit (8), and the control circuit (7) are arranged and a second space (73) in which the first power supply circuit (11) and the second power supply circuit (13) are arranged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Takubo, Motomichi Katou
  • Publication number: 20100096927
    Abstract: The invention provides a power generation system having a power generator (1) configured to generate DC power; an electric power load (5); a current detector configured to detect a current flowing between a system power supply (8) and an interconnection point (9); and a switch (4) configured to switch to supply the DC power from the power generator (1) and AC power which is fed from the system power supply (8) through the interconnection point (9), to the electric power load (5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Inventors: Shinji Miyauchi, Motomichi Katou, Yasuhiro Mori
  • Publication number: 20100047645
    Abstract: A cogeneration system (100) is provided which has an inverter cooling configuration that enables effective utilization of energy and contributes to an improvement in energy saving performance. To this end, the cogeneration system has a power generator (1); an electric power converter (3); a heat medium path (2) configured to flow a heat medium therein so as to recover exhaust heat from the electric power converter through its cooler (4) and so as to recover exhaust heat from the power generator; a bypass path (8) configured to flow the heat medium, bypassing the cooler; a switch (7); and a controller (12). The controller controls the switch so as to switch the destination of the heat medium from the heat medium path to the bypass path, in a start-up operation or shut-down operation of the cogeneration system, or if the amount of exhaust heat of the electric power converter is smaller than a predetermined exhaust heat amount threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Inventors: Shinji Miyauchi, Noriyuki Harao, Masahiko Yamamoto, Keiichi Sato, Motomichi Katou