Patents by Inventor Osamu Kubota

Osamu Kubota 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: 11749871
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a battery module having more improved safety than the conventional battery pack and capable of protecting the battery cells more reliably. The current value at which a cell blocking portion CB inside each of a plurality of battery cells BC interrupts a current path inside the battery cell BC is larger than the current value at which the module fuse MF connected in series to the module terminals MT and the plurality of battery cells BC blows out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Kazunori Ojima, Sadayuki Aoki, Osamu Kubota, Yoshitaka Watahiki
  • Patent number: 11699832
    Abstract: To prevent an increase in the electrical resistance between a terminal for external connection and a cell terminal of a battery cell of a battery cell group. A battery module 100 includes a battery cell group 10, a pair of end plates 20, a bus bar 30, and a fastening member 40. The end plate 20 includes a recess 21 adapted to partially house the fastening member 40 in a mutually movable manner in one direction (X-direction) corresponding to the stacked direction of the plurality of battery cells 1. The battery module 100 also has a gap S between an inner side wall 21a of the recess 21 and the fastening member 40 in the one direction (X-direction).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Osamu Kubota, Kazunori Ojima, Yoshitaka Watahiki, Takashi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11670814
    Abstract: An electricity storage block includes: an element stacked body in which a plurality of square electricity storage elements is stacked and arranged such that wide surfaces of the adjacent square electricity storage elements are opposed to each other; and a pressing device that presses the element stacked body toward the thermally-conductive sheet arranged on the heat transfer plate. The element stacked body includes holders having wide surface abutment parts in abutment with one of the wide surfaces in a pair in at least the predetermined square electricity storage element. The outer surfaces of the bottom plates of the square electricity storage elements are set as heat transfer surfaces thermally connected to the heat transfer plate via the thermally-conductive sheet. The heat-transfer surfaces protrude toward the heat transfer plate more than the end surfaces of the wide surface abutment parts at the heat transfer plate side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN, INC.
    Inventors: Osamu Kubota, Akira Sato, Kazunori Ojima, Sadayuki Aoki
  • Publication number: 20220294073
    Abstract: Provided is a battery module capable of suppressing failures in accurate detection of the state of battery cells due to the effects of unwanted radiation from the battery cells. A battery module 30 includes a plurality of battery cells 20 that are stacked and disposed and a wiring member 50 to detect the state of the plurality of battery cells 20. In the wiring member 50, an insulating base material 52, a wiring layer 53 disposed on one surface 52a side of the base material 52 and including a plurality of detection lines 53a to detect the state of the plurality of battery cells 20, and a ground layer 55 disposed in a position corresponding to at least the wiring layer 53, on the other surface 52b side of the base material 52 are stacked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Kazunori OJIMA, Sadayuki AOKI, Osamu KUBOTA, Yoshitaka WATAHIKI
  • Publication number: 20220181748
    Abstract: This secondary cell module has: a plurality of unit cells, each having a pair of positive and negative electrode terminals; a first bus bar providing an electrical connection between unit cells; and a second bus bar disposed on at least two unit cells of the plurality of unit cells and electrically connected to an external terminal. In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the second bus bar has a first metal member connected to the positive or negative electrode terminal, a second metal member connected to the external terminal, a third metal member connected to a voltage detection terminal, a first linkage member connecting the first metal member to the second metal member, and a second linkage member connecting the first metal member to the third metal member, and the first linkage member and the second linkage member are connected to each other via the first metal member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Akira IRIE, Sadayuki AOKI, Kazunori OJIMA, Osamu KUBOTA
  • Patent number: 11264666
    Abstract: Provided is an assembled battery which is downsized and in which a fastening force between a busbar and an external terminal cable at a fixing part is improved. Provided is an assembled battery including: a group of cells in which a plurality of cells, each having electrode terminals, is stacked; plate-shaped members arranged at ends of the group of cells; and cell holders arranged between the plate-shaped members and the group of cells, in which each of the cell holders is provided with a terminal fixing part of the assembled battery, and each of the plate-shaped members has a fitting part to be fitted to the terminal fixing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN, INC.
    Inventors: Osamu Kubota, Kazunori Ojima, Sadayuki Aoki
  • Publication number: 20210408641
    Abstract: Provided is a battery module capable of improving the safety as compared with the conventional one. The battery module includes a plurality of battery cells, and busbars 10 connecting to external terminals of the battery cells. The busbars 10 include a busbar, the busbar has a pair of terminal portions 11 and 12, a current-carrying portion 13 connecting the pair of terminal portions 11 and 12, and a fuse 14 placed at the current-carrying portion 13. The current-carrying portion 13 surrounds the fuse 14.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Yoshitaka WATAHIKI, Sadayuki AOKI, Kazunori OJIMA, Osamu KUBOTA
  • Publication number: 20210384592
    Abstract: Provided is a battery module capable of keeping a joint strength high at a joint between dissimilar metals of a busbar. A battery module 100 of the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells each having cell terminals 1p and 1n, and a busbar 2A joining the terminals of the battery cells 1. The busbar 2A has a plurality of connection face portions 2c1 and 2c2 each connected to a corresponding one of the terminals 1p and 1n of the battery cells 1; a plurality of rising portions each rising from a corresponding one of the plurality of connection face portions 2c1 and 2c2; and a connection portion connecting the plurality of rising portions. The busbar includes a copper portion 2e including copper and an aluminum portion 2f including aluminum, and a joint between the copper portion 2e and the aluminum portion 2f are located on the connection face portion 2c1, 2c2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Kazuaki URANO, Hiroaki MASUDA, Tatsuhiko KAWASAKI, Osamu KUBOTA
  • Publication number: 20210305646
    Abstract: Provided is an assembled battery which is downsized and in which a fastening force between a busbar and an external terminal cable at a fixing part is improved. Provided is an assembled battery including: a group of cells in which a plurality of cells, each having electrode terminals, is stacked; plate-shaped members arranged at ends of the group of cells; and cell holders arranged between the plate-shaped members and the group of cells, in which each of the cell holders is provided with a terminal fixing part of the assembled battery, and each of the plate-shaped members has a fitting part to be fitted to the terminal fixing part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu KUBOTA, Kazunori OJIMA, Sadayuki AOKI
  • Publication number: 20210218082
    Abstract: Provided is a battery pack capable of preventing a damage to the insulation layer on the bottom face of each of battery cells and improving the cooling performance for the battery cells as compared with the conventional configuration. A battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells 10, a plurality of cell holders 20, a plurality of plates 30, an insulation layer 40 on the entire bottom face 10b of each battery cell 10, a heat-transfer sheet 50, and a cooler 60 to cool the battery cells 10 via the heat-transfer sheet 50. The lower end 30b of each plate 30 protrudes downward from the lower face 40b of each insulation layer 40. The cell holder 20 has supports that support the side faces of the battery cell 10 and an opening 22 that exposes the entire lower face 40b of the insulation layer 40 to the heat-transfer sheet 50.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Applicant: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventors: Osamu KUBOTA, Sadayuki AOKI, Kazunori OJIMA, Yoshitaka WATAHIKI, Akira IRIE, Tatsuo SUGAWARA
  • Publication number: 20210210826
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a battery module having more improved safety than the conventional battery pack and capable of protecting the battery cells more reliably. The current value at which a cell blocking portion CB inside each of a plurality of battery cells BC interrupts a current path inside the battery cell BC is larger than the current value at which the module fuse MF connected in series to the module terminals MT and the plurality of battery cells BC blows out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Kazunori OJIMA, Sadayuki AOKI, Osamu KUBOTA, Yoshitaka WATAHIKI
  • Publication number: 20210159572
    Abstract: To prevent an increase in the electrical resistance between a terminal for external connection and a cell terminal of a battery cell of a battery cell group. A battery module 100 includes a battery cell group 10, a pair of end plates 20, a bus bar 30, and a fastening member 40. The end plate 20 includes a recess 21 adapted to partially house the fastening member 40 in a mutually movable manner in one direction (X-direction) corresponding to the stacked direction of the plurality of battery cells 1. The battery module 100 also has a gap S between an inner side wall 21a of the recess 21 and the fastening member 40 in the one direction (X-direction).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Osamu KUBOTA, Kazunori OJIMA, Yoshitaka WATAHIKI, Takashi SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 10608286
    Abstract: Provided is a secondary cell which is resistant to vibration and impact. The secondary cell includes a flat wound group supported, through an insulator, at a lid on which external terminals are arranged, and a cell case for housing the flat wound group. In the secondary cell, a flat portion of the flat wound group has a gap between the flat portion and a wide surface of the cell case, and is held on the wide surface near a cell case bottom through a holding portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Kubota, Masaaki Iwasa, Hitoshi Nishimori, Akihide Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20190251070
    Abstract: An analysis support system stores one or more templates each prepared according to an analysis purpose. Each of the one or more templates is correlated with: one or more data item names related to at least one of the one or more analysis target systems; and a log level that allows output of data of each of the one or more data item names. The analysis support system receives the selection of a template among one or more templates. The analysis support system uses data of a data item name as analysis data, the data being data of one or more data item names correlated with the selected template, the data item name corresponding to a log level equal to or lower than an allowable log level among pieces of data of the analysis target system correlated with the selected template.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Takahisa NAKAZAWA, Akihisa NAGAMI, Osamu KUBOTA, Youhei NOZAKI, Masashi FUKUI
  • Publication number: 20190221852
    Abstract: When a short circuit occurs in a lithium-ion secondary battery, a short circuit current is reduced to suppress temperature rise of the battery. In order to solve the above problem, a lithium-ion battery of the present invention includes an electrode having a mixture layer and a heat resistant layer disposed on the mixture layer and containing ceramic particles. The heat resistant layer includes a crosslinked resin, and the amount of the crosslinked resin is less than 10% by weight with respect to the sum of the amount of the ceramic particles and the amount of the crosslinked resin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Katsunori NISHIMURA, Shuichi SUZUKI, Osamu KUBOTA, Kunio FUKUCHI, Motonari KIFUNE, Takuro TSUNAKI
  • Publication number: 20180219262
    Abstract: Provided is a secondary cell which is resistant to vibration and impact. The secondary cell includes a flat wound group supported, through an insulator, at a lid on which external terminals are arranged, and a cell case for housing the flat wound group. In the secondary cell, a flat portion of the flat wound group has a gap between the flat portion and a wide surface of the cell case, and is held on the wide surface near a cell case bottom through a holding portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Osamu KUBOTA, Masaaki IWASA, Hitoshi NISHIMORI, Akihide TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20180123105
    Abstract: The present invention proposes a structure of a battery module in which a spacer can slide by means of a guide member constituting the battery module and can be positioned. A battery module according to the present invention is a battery module 9 provided with a battery block 8 in which a plurality of rectangular battery cells 1 are arranged and laminated, and includes a spacer 2 which intervenes between the plurality of battery cells 1, guide members 4 and 5 which slidably support the spacer 2 along a laminating direction of the battery cells 1, and end plates 3 as a pair which are respectively arranged on one side and the other side of the guide members 4 and 5 in a sliding direction and which sandwich the battery block 8 from both sides in the sliding direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoya TOKOO, Osamu KUBOTA, Hidekazu FUJIMURA, Michihiro KIMURA, Naoki KOJIMA, Takashi SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20180123199
    Abstract: An electricity storage block includes: an element stacked body in which a plurality of square electricity storage elements is stacked and arranged such that wide surfaces of the adjacent square electricity storage elements are opposed to each other; and a pressing device that presses the element stacked body toward the thermally-conductive sheet arranged on the heat transfer plate. The element stacked body includes holders having wide surface abutment parts in abutment with one of the wide surfaces in a pair in at least the predetermined square electricity storage element. The outer surfaces of the bottom plates of the square electricity storage elements are set as heat transfer surfaces thermally connected to the heat transfer plate via the thermally-conductive sheet. The heat-transfer surfaces protrude toward the heat transfer plate more than the end surfaces of the wide surface abutment parts at the heat transfer plate side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu KUBOTA, Akira SATO, Kazunori OJIMA, Sadayuki AOKI
  • Patent number: 9887440
    Abstract: An electricity storage block includes: an element stacked body in which a plurality of square electricity storage elements is stacked and arranged such that wide surfaces of the adjacent square electricity storage elements are opposed to each other; and a pressing device that presses the element stacked body toward the thermally-conductive sheet arranged on the heat transfer plate. The element stacked body includes holders having wide surface abutment parts in abutment with one of the wide surfaces in a pair in at least the predetermined square electricity storage element. The outer surfaces of the bottom plates of the square electricity storage elements are set as heat transfer surfaces thermally connected to the heat transfer plate via the thermally-conductive sheet. The heat-transfer surfaces protrude toward the heat transfer plate more than the end surfaces of the wide surface abutment parts at the heat transfer plate side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Kubota, Akira Sato, Kazunori Ojima, Sadayuki Aoki
  • Patent number: 9876207
    Abstract: The present invention proposes a structure of a battery module in which a spacer can slide by means of a guide member constituting the battery module and can be positioned. A battery module according to the present invention is a battery module 9 provided with a battery block 8 in which a plurality of rectangular battery cells 1 are arranged and laminated, and includes a spacer 2 which intervenes between the plurality of battery cells 1, guide members 4 and 5 which slidably support the spacer 2 along a laminating direction of the battery cells 1, and end plates 3 as a pair which are respectively arranged on one side and the other side of the guide members 4 and 5 in a sliding direction and which sandwich the battery block 8 from both sides in the sliding direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoya Tokoo, Osamu Kubota, Hidekazu Fujimura, Michihiro Kimura, Naoki Kojima, Takashi Suzuki