Patents by Inventor Naoki YOKOO

Naoki YOKOO 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: 11870118
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that generates power using a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas, a reformer including a vaporizing section and a reforming section, a raw fuel supply that supplies raw fuel, a reformed water supply that supplies reformed water, and a controller. The controller has multiple calculation formulas for calculating an amount of reformed water to be used in the reforming section in response to a requested power level from an external unit, and selects, based on an increase or a decrease in a requested current level from the external unit, a formula from the multiple calculation formulas in response to the increase in the requested current level, and a formula different from the formula to be selected for the increase from the multiple calculation formulas in response to the decrease in the requested current level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignees: KYOCERA Corporation, DAINICHI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyosuke Yamauchi, Naoki Yokoo, Hidetaka Ikarashi, Yutaro Sakata, Hiroyuki Sato
  • Patent number: 11588161
    Abstract: A fuel cell device may include a fuel cell module; a condensate water recovery flow path which may recover water contained in an exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell module as condensate water; a condensate water recovery device which may store the condensate water; and a reforming water supply flow path which may supply the condensate water to a reformer. The condensate water recovery device of the fuel cell device may include a first ion exchange container which may contain an ion exchange resin; and a first storage container which may store the condensate water. The first ion exchange container may be disposed inside the first storage container with a space from the first storage container, and may be attachable to and detachable from the first storage container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignees: KYOCERA CORPORATION, DAINICHI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shintaro Yanagiuchi, Naoki Yokoo, Tomohiro Fukagawa, Tomoki Oyanagi, Kazuaki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11456473
    Abstract: A reformer of the present disclosure includes a reformer body having a cylindrical shape that carries out a reforming reaction by a raw fuel gas and water supplied thereto, the reformer body including therein a vaporization portion which generates steam and a reforming portion which reacts the steam generated in the vaporization portion with the raw fuel gas to generate a reformed gas, at least one of a convex portion and a rough portion having a higher degree of surface roughness than that of other portions, being disposed on at least one of an inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface of the reformer body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignees: KYOCERA CORPORATION, DAINICHI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Shintani, Naruto Takahashi, Norihisa Shibasaki, Naoki Yokoo
  • Publication number: 20220293984
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that generates power using a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas, a reformer including a vaporizing section and a reforming section, a raw fuel supply that supplies raw fuel, a reformed water supply that supplies reformed water, and a controller. The controller has multiple calculation formulas for calculating an amount of reformed water to be used in the reforming section in response to a requested power level from an external unit, and selects, based on an increase or a decrease in a requested current level from the external unit, a formula from the multiple calculation formulas in response to the increase in the requested current level, and a formula different from the formula to be selected for the increase from the multiple calculation formulas in response to the decrease in the requested current level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Kyosuke YAMAUCHI, Naoki YOKOO, Hidetaka IKARASHI, Yutaro SAKATA, Hiroyuki SATO
  • Patent number: 11271239
    Abstract: A fuel cell module includes: a cell stack apparatus including a cell stack including an array of a plurality of fuel cells, a manifold which feeds a fuel gas to each of the fuel cells, and a reformer which reforms a raw fuel; an oxygen-containing gas introduction plate which feeds an oxygen-containing gas to each of the fuel cells; and a housing which houses the cell stack apparatus and the oxygen-containing gas introduction plate. The housing includes a box having an open side and a lid which closes the open side of the box, and the box has a length of the open side which is greater than a maximum length of a projected plane of the cell stack apparatus as viewed from a lateral side of the cell stack apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Nakamura, Mitsutaka Shimada, Kyosuke Yamauchi, Naoki Yokoo, Takayuki Maruyama, Tatsuya Kanbayashi
  • Patent number: 11189850
    Abstract: A reformer of the present disclosure includes a reformer body which has a cylindrical shape and extends horizontally, introducing raw fuel and water to perform a reforming reaction, the reformer body including therein a vaporization portion which generates steam, and a reforming portion which reacts the steam generated in the vaporization portion with raw fuel to generate a reformed gas; a raw fuel introduction pipe which introduces the raw fuel into the reformer body; a water introduction pipe including therein a water passage which introduces water into the reformer body; and a vaporization accelerating portion which is disposed in at least one of the vaporization portion and the water introduction pipe and accelerates vaporization of water in the vaporization portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Yokoo, Osamu Yamazaki, Tatsuya Kanbayashi, Takayuki Maruyama, Naruto Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20200212463
    Abstract: A fuel cell device may include a fuel cell module; a condensate water recovery flow path which may recover water contained in an exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell module as condensate water; a condensate water recovery device which may store the condensate water; and a reforming water supply flow path which may supply the condensate water to a reformer. The condensate water recovery device of the fuel cell device may include a first ion exchange container which may contain an ion exchange resin; and a first storage container which may store the condensate water. The first ion exchange container may be disposed inside the first storage container with a space from the first storage container, and may be attachable to and detachable from the first storage container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Shintaro YANAGIUCHI, Naoki YOKOO, Tomohiro FUKAGAWA, Tomoki OYANAGI, Kazuaki KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20200119387
    Abstract: A fuel cell device may includes: a housing including a top panel and a plurality of side panels; a fuel cell module disposed in the housing, the fuel cell module housing a cell stack that carries out power generation by utilizing a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas; and a plurality of auxiliary machines that assist operation of the fuel cell module. A plurality of panels among the top panel and the plurality of side panels may serve as a maintenance panel that can be detached during maintenance or component replacement, and at least two panels among the top panel and the plurality of side panels do not serve as the maintenance panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Shintaro YANAGIUCHI, Tatsuya KANBAYASHI, Naoki YOKOO, Tomohiro FUKAGAWA, Kenichi ODAGAWA, Mitsuhiro NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20190245229
    Abstract: A reformer of the present disclosure includes a reformer body having a cylindrical shape that carries out a reforming reaction by a raw fuel gas and water supplied thereto, the reformer body including therein a vaporization portion which generates steam and a reforming portion which reacts the steam generated in the vaporization portion with the raw fuel gas to generate a reformed gas, at least one of a convex portion and a rough portion having a higher degree of surface roughness than that of other portions, being disposed on at least one of an inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface of the reformer body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Applicants: KYOCERA CORPORATION, DAINICHI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunsuke SHINTANI, Naruto TAKAHASHI, Norihisa SHIBASAKI, Naoki YOKOO
  • Publication number: 20190237795
    Abstract: A fuel cell module includes: a cell stack apparatus including a cell stack including an array of a plurality of fuel cells, a manifold which feeds a fuel gas to each of the fuel cells, and a reformer which reforms a raw fuel; an oxygen-containing gas introduction plate which feeds an oxygen-containing gas to each of the fuel cells; and a housing which houses the cell stack apparatus and the oxygen-containing gas introduction plate. The housing includes a box having an open side and a lid which closes the open side of the box, and the box has a length of the open side which is greater than a maximum length of a projected plane of the cell stack apparatus as viewed from a lateral side of the cell stack apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro NAKAMURA, Mitsutaka SHIMADA, Kyosuke YAMAUCHI, Naoki YOKOO, Takayuki MARUYAMA, Tatsuya KANBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20190214665
    Abstract: A reformer of the present disclosure includes a reformer body which has a cylindrical shape and extends horizontally, introducing raw fuel and water to perform a reforming reaction, the reformer body including therein a vaporization portion which generates steam, and a reforming portion which reacts the steam generated in the vaporization portion with raw fuel to generate a reformed gas; a raw fuel introduction pipe which introduces the raw fuel into the reformer body; a water introduction pipe including therein a water passage which introduces water into the reformer body; and a vaporization accelerating portion which is disposed in at least one of the vaporization portion and the water introduction pipe and accelerates vaporization of water in the vaporization portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Inventors: Naoki YOKOO, Osamu YAMAZAKI, Tatsuya KANBAYASHI, Takayuki MARUYAMA, Naruto TAKAHASHI