Patents by Inventor Mutsumi Kikuchi

Mutsumi Kikuchi 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: 20150340883
    Abstract: A cell controller in a battery-monitoring device that monitors an assembled battery having a single cell group or a plurality of cell groups, each made up with a plurality of battery cells connected in series, includes: a startup terminal to which a first discharge resistor is connected and a startup voltage is applied; and a cell-balancing unit that executes cell balancing operation in order to adjust charge levels of the plurality of battery cells during a time period through which the startup voltage remains equal to or greater than a predetermined voltage, wherein: the startup voltage is applied for a predetermined length of time by a first timer unit that includes a passive element capable of accumulating electric energy and capable of discharging electric energy to the startup terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Tomonori KANAI, Akihiko KUDOH, Hikaru MIURA, Mitsuo NODA, Mutsumi KIKUCHI
  • Publication number: 20150323609
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device for monitoring a cell group made by connecting a plurality of single battery cells in series includes a reference voltage generation circuit configured to generate a variable reference voltage, a switching circuit configured to select, as a measurement target voltage, any one of a plurality of types of voltages including the cell voltages of the single battery cells in the cell group and the reference voltage, and an AD converter configured to measure the measurement target voltage which is selected by the switching circuit, and output a digital signal according to the measurement result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiko KUDO, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Tomonori KANAI, Tatsumi YAMAUCHI, Akihiro MACHIDA
  • Patent number: 9130379
    Abstract: A vehicle power supply system comprises a battery module that includes a plurality of battery cells, battery cell control devices and a signal transmission path through which signals are transmitted. The battery cell control devices comprises a voltage measurement circuit that measures terminal voltages at the battery cells, an abnormality diagnosis circuit that diagnoses an abnormality in the battery cell control device, a timing control circuit that outputs a signal for instructing measurement phase and a signal for instructing diagnosis phase, and a communication circuit that outputs a signal indicating the terminal voltage and a signal based upon a diagnosis result by the abnormality diagnosis circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kei Sakabe, Akihiko Emori, Akihiko Kudo, Kenji Kubo, Youhei Kawahara, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Tatsumi Yamauchi
  • Publication number: 20150191102
    Abstract: A battery system for vehicle comprises a battery unit that is constituted with a plurality of serially connected cell groups each include a plurality of serially connected battery cells, integrated circuits that are each disposed in correspondence to one of the cell groups of the battery unit and each measure terminal voltages at the battery cells in the corresponding cell group, and a signal transmission path through which one of the integrated circuits is connected to another one of the integrated circuits or to a circuit other than that of the integrated circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Inventors: Kenji KUBO, Akihiko KUDO, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Akihiko EMORI
  • Publication number: 20150155722
    Abstract: A battery monitoring and control integrated circuit is connected to a cell group having a plurality of series-connected single cells for monitoring and controlling the single cells, and includes: a first start input terminal for connecting to a DC signal generation circuit which generates a DC signal based on an AC start signal input from the outside; a start detection unit which detects the DC signal and activates the battery monitoring and control integrated circuit; and a start output unit which outputs the AC start signal to the outside after the activation of the battery monitoring and control integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI VEHICLE ENERGY, LTD.,
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Emori, Akihiro Machida
  • Patent number: 9048667
    Abstract: A suppressed noise cell controller includes, corresponding to a number of cell packs, a plurality of ICs each having a voltage detecting circuit detecting voltages of respective cells of a cell pack in which four cells are connected in series, a switch control circuit controlling conduction and a blocking operation of a plurality of switch elements connected in parallel to the respective cells via capacity adjusting resistors, terminal LIN1 for inputting control information, terminal LIN2 for outputting control information, terminal Vcc and GND terminal, and terminal LIN2 of a higher-order IC and terminal LIN1 of a lower-order IC are daisy chain connected. The Vcc terminal of each IC is connected to a positive electrode of a higher-order cell among cells constituting a corresponding cell pack via a noise eliminating inductor, and the GND terminal is coupled directly to Vcc of the lower-order IC. Noise isn't superposed on LIN1 or LIN2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Nagaoka, Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Kenichiro Tsuru, Tatsumi Yamauchi, Akihiko Emori
  • Patent number: 9035611
    Abstract: A battery system for a vehicle is provided with discharge circuits (R1, 129A through 129D, 128A through 128D) that discharge battery cells (BC1 through BC4) via measurement lines of those battery cells (BC1 through BC4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Kudo, Gosuke Shibahara, Yoshinori Aoshima, Kenji Kubo, Yasuo Uemura
  • Patent number: 9008902
    Abstract: A battery system for vehicle comprises a battery unit that is constituted with a plurality of serially connected cell groups each include a plurality of serially connected battery cells, integrated circuits that are each disposed in correspondence to one of the cell groups of the battery unit and each measure terminal voltages at the battery cells in the corresponding cell group, and a signal transmission path through which one of the integrated circuits is connected to another one of the integrated circuits or to a circuit other than that of the integrated circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Kubo, Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Emori
  • Publication number: 20150070023
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device for monitoring a cell group made by connecting a plurality of single battery cells in series including a first switching circuit configured to select, as a measurement target voltage, a type of voltage a differential amplifier circuit including a first input terminal and a second input terminal, configured to convert the measurement target voltage, which is selected by the first switching circuit and input between the first input terminal and the second input terminal, into a voltage in a predetermined range by performing differential amplification, and an AD converter configured to measure the measurement target voltage selected by the first switching circuit and converted by the differential amplifier circuit, and output a digital signal according to the measurement result, wherein an abnormality detection voltage, is output to the AD converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Tomonori Kanai, Tatsumi Yamauchi, Akihiro Machida
  • Publication number: 20140354291
    Abstract: A battery monitoring system includes a plurality of battery monitoring devices connected to a battery formed by connecting a plurality of battery cell groups in series, and monitor a state of the battery for the respective battery cell groups, each of the plurality of battery cell groups being of one or a plurality of battery cells connected in series, and a controller that performs wireless communication with the plurality of battery monitoring devices. First identification information portions which are different from each other are set in the plurality of battery monitoring devices in advance, and second identification information corresponding to an order of potentials of the battery cell groups in the battery, to which the battery monitoring devices are connected, is assigned to each of the plurality of battery monitoring devices. The controller stores a relationship between the first and second identification information for each battery monitoring device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI VEHICLE ENERGY, LTD.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Kudo, Tomonori Kanai, Hikaru Miura, Akihiko Emori
  • Publication number: 20140327400
    Abstract: A battery system monitoring apparatus for monitoring a cell group having a plurality of battery cells, and includes a cell controller IC which monitors and controls the states of the plurality of battery cells. A battery controller controls the cell controller IC and a plurality of voltage detection lines measure the voltage across the terminals of the battery cell. The voltage detection lines connect positive and negative electrodes of the battery cell, respectively, to a plurality of voltage input terminals of the cell controller IC. A power line connects the positive electrode of the battery cell having the highest potential among the plurality of battery cells to a power supply terminal of the cell controller IC and a ground line which connects the negative electrode of the battery cell having the lowest potential among the plurality of battery cells to a ground terminal of the cell controller IC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2011
    Publication date: November 6, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI VEHICLE ENERGY, LTD.,
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Emori
  • Publication number: 20140312913
    Abstract: A battery monitoring apparatus comprises a reception section to receive a radio signal and to output power and a demodulated signal according to the radio signal; a first power source circuit to perform power supply based on the power; a decode circuit to operate upon receiving the power supply from the first power source circuit and to output an activation signal and a command based on the demodulated signal; a second power source circuit to be activated according to the activation signal and to perform power supply; a battery monitoring circuit to operate upon receiving the power supply from the second power source circuit and to output a monitoring result of a state of the battery according to the command; and a transmission section to operate upon receiving the power supply from the second power source circuit and to wirelessly transmit the monitoring result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Kudo, Tomonori Kanai, Hikaru Miura, Akihiko Emori
  • Patent number: 8829717
    Abstract: A battery control device for a battery module includes a plurality of integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit includes: a constant voltage circuit that lowers a total voltage of a battery cell group corresponding to the integrated circuit to an integrated circuit internal voltage; a signal generation circuit that generates, based upon a first signal provided by a higher-order control circuit, a second signal assuming a wave height value different from a wave height value of the first signal and outputs the second signal; and a startup circuit that includes a first comparator assuming a first decision-making threshold value corresponding to the first signal and a second comparator assuming a second decision-making threshold value corresponding to the second signal, and starts up the constant voltage circuit in response to a change in an output from at least either the first comparator or the second comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Gosuke Shibahara, Akihiko Emori, Yasuo Uemura, Tatsumi Yamauchi, Kenji Kubo, Yoshinori Aoshima
  • Publication number: 20140225622
    Abstract: A battery system monitoring device that monitors a battery system provided with a cell group having a plurality of battery cells connected in series with each other, including: a first control device that monitors and controls states of the plurality of battery cells of the cell group; a second control device that controls the first control device; a temperature detection unit that measures a temperature in the vicinity of the first control device; and a plurality of voltage detection lines, for measuring an inter-terminal voltage of the battery cell, which connect each of a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the battery cell and the first control device. The first control device includes a balancing switch, which performs balancing discharge of the battery cell for each of the battery cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI VEHICLE ENERGY, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Tomonori Kanai, Tatsumi Yamauchi, Akihiro Machida
  • Patent number: 8760168
    Abstract: An assembled battery total voltage detection circuit includes a main control circuit, a divider resistor connected between a plus terminal and a minus terminal of an assembled battery insulated from the main control circuit, and a differential amplifier circuit that amplifies voltage divided by the divider resistor. A constant electric potential relative to a ground of the main control circuit is applied to a midpoint of the divider resistor. The main control circuit measures the voltage divided by the divider resistor via the differential amplifier circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Masaki Nagaoka
  • Publication number: 20140159739
    Abstract: A battery monitoring system, comprises a battery state detection circuit that detects battery states of a plurality of battery cells that are connected in series, based on respective cell voltages of the plurality of battery cells, and a control circuit that monitors state of a battery cell, based on each cell voltage of the plurality of battery cells. The control circuit inputs pseudo voltage information to the battery state detection circuit, and thereby diagnoses whether or not the battery state detection circuit is operating normally.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicants: Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko KUDO, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Gosuke SHIBAHARA, Akihiko EMORI, Yasuo UEMURA, Tatsumi YAMAUCHI, Kenji KUBO, Masahito SONEHARA, Masahiko AMANO, Yoshinori AOSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20140152261
    Abstract: A battery system monitoring apparatus that monitors a battery system is provided having a cell group having a plurality of unit cells connected in series, including: a first control device that controls the cell group; and a plurality of voltage detection lines that connect positive electrodes and negative electrodes of the unit cells to the first control device, for measuring inter-terminal voltages of the unit cells. The first control device includes a balancing switch connected between the voltage detection line connected to the positive electrode of each unit cell and the voltage detection line connected to the negative electrode thereof for conducting balancing discharge of the unit cell, for each of the unit cells. A first resistor is disposed in series with each of the voltage detection lines, a first capacitor is connected between the voltage detection line, and a GND which is a lowest-level potential of the cell group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsumi Yamauchi, Akihiro Machida, Akihiko Kudo, Akihiko Emori, Mutsumi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 8723527
    Abstract: A battery monitoring system, comprises a battery state detection circuit that detects battery states of a plurality of battery cells that are connected in series, based on respective cell voltages of the plurality of battery cells, and a control circuit that monitors state of a battery cell, based on each cell voltage of the plurality of battery cells. The control circuit inputs pseudo voltage information to the battery state detection circuit, and thereby diagnoses whether or not the battery state detection circuit is operating normally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Gosuke Shibahara, Akihiko Emori, Yasuo Uemura, Tatsumi Yamauchi, Kenji Kubo, Masahito Sonehara, Masahiko Amano, Yoshinori Aoshima
  • Publication number: 20140088823
    Abstract: A battery system for vehicle comprises a battery unit that is constituted with a plurality of serially connected cell groups each include a plurality of serially connected battery cells, integrated circuits that are each disposed in correspondence to one of the cell groups of the battery unit and each measure terminal voltages at the battery cells in the corresponding cell group, and a signal transmission path through which one of the integrated circuits is connected to another one of the integrated circuits or to a circuit other than that of the integrated circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicants: Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd
    Inventors: Kenji KUBO, Akihiko KUDO, Mutsumi KIKUCHI, Akihiko EMORI
  • Patent number: 8649935
    Abstract: A battery system for vehicle comprises a battery unit that is constituted with a plurality of serially connected cell groups each include a plurality of serially connected battery cells, integrated circuits that are each disposed in correspondence to one of the cell groups of the battery unit and each measure terminal voltages at the battery cells in the corresponding cell group, and a signal transmission path through which one of the integrated circuits is connected to another one of the integrated circuits or to a circuit other than that of the integrated circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Kubo, Akihiko Kudo, Mutsumi Kikuchi, Akihiko Emori