Patents by Inventor Shigeaki Murata
Shigeaki Murata 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).
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Patent number: 11518275Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle includes: a fuel cell; a storage portion to store produced water that is produced as a result of power generation by the fuel cell; a drainage valve for switching between a storage state and a drainage state of discharging the produced water from the storage portion to the outside of the fuel cell vehicle; a road information acquisition portion configured to acquire road information on roads on which the fuel cell vehicle travels; and a controller configured to drainage valve control operation. The controller sets a road region meeting a first condition defined in advance regarding road information and that permits the drainage state as a first road region where the drainage state is permitted, and the controller performs drainage if a drainage implementation condition defined in advance, including traveling of the fuel cell vehicle in the first road region, is fulfilled.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2020Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takahiko Hasegawa, Takashi Harayama, Ayano Asai, Koji Terashima, Shigeaki Murata, Tomio Yamanaka, Syun Yoshida
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Publication number: 20210245811Abstract: A vehicle includes: a pair of side frames; a mount unit provided between the side frames such that the mount unit is placed at a position overlapping with the side frames when the mount unit is viewed in the vehicle width direction; and a first attachment portion group including a plurality of attachment portions via which a side face of the mount unit is connected to a first side frame. The attachment portions provided in the first attachment portion group include respective elastic portions placed between the first side frame and the mount unit when the respective elastic portions are viewed from above the vehicle. The respective elastic portions included in the attachment portions are placed to overlap each other when the respective elastic portions are viewed in the extending direction of the first side frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 24, 2020Publication date: August 12, 2021Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shigeaki MURATA
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Publication number: 20210207970Abstract: A navigation device includes: a drivable distance acquisition portion that acquires a drivable distance over which a fuel cell vehicle is able to drive without being replenished with hydrogen gas; a hydrogen station identification portion that identifies a hydrogen station present within a drivable range; a route setting portion that sets a target route and that changes, when the distance of a first route set according to a predetermined condition is longer than the drivable distance, the target route to a second route that passes through a specific hydrogen station and that is different from the first route; and a performance requirement transmission portion that transmits, to the specific hydrogen station, through a communication portion mounted on the fuel cell vehicle, a performance requirement of pre-processing for charging the hydrogen gas into a hydrogen gas storage portion included in the fuel cell vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2020Publication date: July 8, 2021Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Ayano ASAI, Takashi HARAYAMA, Koji TERASHIMA, Shigeaki MURATA, Takahiko HASEGAWA, Tomio YAMANAKA, Syun YOSHIDA
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Publication number: 20210206293Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle includes: a fuel cell; a storage portion to store produced water that is produced as a result of power generation by the fuel cell; a drainage valve for switching between a storage state and a drainage state of discharging the produced water from the storage portion to the outside of the fuel cell vehicle; a road information acquisition portion configured to acquire road information on roads on which the fuel cell vehicle travels; and a controller configured to drainage valve control operation. The controller sets a road region meeting a first condition defined in advance regarding road information and that permits the drainage state as a first road region where the drainage state is permitted, and the controller performs drainage if a drainage implementation condition defined in advance, including traveling of the fuel cell vehicle in the first road region, is fulfilled.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2020Publication date: July 8, 2021Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takahiko HASEGAWA, Takashi HARAYAMA, Ayano ASAI, Koji TERASHIMA, Shigeaki MURATA, Tomio YAMANAKA, Syun YOSHIDA
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Publication number: 20210199451Abstract: A movement plan producing system that produces a movement plan for a hydrogen filling vehicle includes: a residual hydrogen amount information acquisition portion that communicates with a plurality of vehicles using hydrogen gas as fuel to acquire residual hydrogen amount information indicating a residual hydrogen amount in a hydrogen tank of each of the vehicles; a positional information acquisition portion that acquires positional information indicating the position of each of the plurality of vehicles; and a plan producing portion that produces the movement plan for making the hydrogen filling vehicle fill at least some of the plurality of vehicles with hydrogen using the acquired residual hydrogen amount information and the acquired positional information.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2020Publication date: July 1, 2021Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeaki MURATA, Takashi HARAYAMA, Ayano ASAI, Koji TERASHIMA, Takahiko HASEGAWA, Tomio YAMANAKA, Koichi NUMATA, Syun YOSHIDA
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Patent number: 10926628Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle mounted with a fuel gas tank in an underfloor of the vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle includes: a floor that has a projecting portion projecting upward in a height direction of the vehicle and extending along a front and rear direction of the vehicle; a fuel gas tank arranged under the projecting portion in the height direction of the vehicle and fixed to the floor; and an undercover arranged under the fuel gas tank in the height direction of the vehicle. The undercover has a fixation protruded portion that projects upward in the height direction of the vehicle in a side of the fuel gas tank in a width direction of the vehicle, and being fixed to the floor by the fixation protruded portion.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2018Date of Patent: February 23, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takanori Otsura, Shigeaki Murata
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Patent number: 10355293Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell. The fuel cell vehicle comprises a fuel gas supply piping located in floor of the fuel cell vehicle and configured to supply a fuel gas to the fuel cell; an exhaust drainage piping located under the floor and configured to discharge an exhaust gas and water from the fuel cell; a muffler located below the fuel gas supply piping in a direction of gravity and connected with the exhaust drainage piping; and an undercover located below the muffler and provided to cover the floor, the undercover having a gap along a front-rear direction of the fuel cell vehicle formed between a front wheel of the fuel cell vehicle. The muffler is placed on any straight line that passes through the fuel gas supply pipe and that connects any point of a contact area in which the front wheel is in contact with ground surface with the gap in a view of a left-right direction of the fuel cell vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2018Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shigeaki Murata, Takanori Otsura
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Patent number: 10181616Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell stack, a tank, a discharge flow path discharging a fluid discharged from the fuel cell stack, a muffler attached to the discharge flow paths, and a vehicle member defining a first chamber and a second chamber, the first chamber accommodating the fuel cell stack and the second chamber being disposed behind the first chamber and accommodating the tank and the muffler. The second chamber is also provided with a front portion and a rear portion continuous with the front portion, the rear portion being shorter than the front portion in average length in a vehicle width direction. The muffler is disposed between the tank and one of a pair of side wall portions defining side walls of the front portion in the vehicle width direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2018Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shigeaki Murata, Takanori Otsura, Yasuhiko Ohashi
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Publication number: 20180366746Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell. The fuel cell vehicle comprises a fuel gas supply piping located in floor of the fuel cell vehicle and configured to supply a fuel gas to the fuel cell; an exhaust drainage piping located under the floor and configured to discharge an exhaust gas and water from the fuel cell; a muffler located below the fuel gas supply piping in a direction of gravity and connected with the exhaust drainage piping; and an undercover located below the muffler and provided to cover the floor, the undercover having a gap along a front-rear direction of the fuel cell vehicle formed between a front wheel of the fuel cell vehicle. The muffler is placed on any straight line that passes through the fuel gas supply pipe and that connects any point of a contact area in which the front wheel is in contact with ground surface with the gap in a view of a left-right direction of the fuel cell vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2018Publication date: December 20, 2018Inventors: Shigeaki MURATA, Takanori OTSURA
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Publication number: 20180354558Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle comprises a fuel cell module, a discharge port through which exhaust gas including water produced in the fuel cell module is discharged, the discharge port being disposed on an under floor and between a front wheel axle and a rear wheel axle of the fuel cell vehicle, and a guiding section capable of guiding the exhaust gas to flow toward a rearward side beyond the rear wheel axle while the fuel cell vehicle is in a non-running state.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 25, 2018Publication date: December 13, 2018Inventors: Takanori OTSURA, Shigeaki MURATA, Keitaro YAMAMORI
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Patent number: 10093183Abstract: In order to limit entry of a fuel cell stack into a passenger compartment by a simple structure, the fuel cell stack is accommodated in an accommodating compartment formed at a rear of a passenger compartment. A force receiving member is arranged forward with respect to the fuel cell stack and below the fuel cell stack so that rearward force acts on the force receiving member at the time of vehicle collision. When the rearward force acting on the force receiving member due to vehicle collision is larger than a predetermined upper limit value, the rearward force is converted into upward force, and the upward force is transmitted to a forward bottom surface of the fuel cell stack, whereby a forward end part of the fuel cell stack is lifted up with respect to a rearward end part of the fuel cell stack upon vehicle collision.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2015Date of Patent: October 9, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shigeaki Murata
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Publication number: 20180272863Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle mounted with a fuel gas tank in an underfloor of the vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle includes: a floor that has a projecting portion projecting upward in a height direction of the vehicle and extending along a front and rear direction of the vehicle; a fuel gas tank arranged under the projecting portion in the height direction of the vehicle and fixed to the floor; and an undercover arranged under the fuel gas tank in the height direction of the vehicle. The undercover has a fixation protruded portion that projects upward in the height direction of the vehicle in a side of the fuel gas tank in a width direction of the vehicle, and being fixed to the floor by the fixation protruded portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2018Publication date: September 27, 2018Inventors: Takanori OTSURA, Shigeaki MURATA
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Patent number: 10029552Abstract: A holding mechanism includes: a holding plate capable of holding an electronic device for an electric vehicle; a leg portion supporting two long sides of the holding plate; first and second fixing portions provided in the leg portion and separated from each other in a short direction of the holding plate; and a third fixing portion located at or near one of two sides of the holding plate along the short direction and located higher than the first and second fixing portions, wherein the first and second fixing portions can be respectively fixed to first and second mount parts provided in a vehicle body structural member at a front side of the electric vehicle and separated from each other in a width direction or front-rear direction of the electric vehicle, and the third fixing portion can be fixed to a third mount part provided in the vehicle body structural member.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2017Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeaki Murata, Yasuji Nishi
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Publication number: 20180205106Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell stack, a tank, a discharge flow path discharging a fluid discharged from the fuel cell stack, a muffler attached to the discharge flow paths, and a vehicle member defining a first chamber and a second chamber, the first chamber accommodating the fuel cell stack and the second chamber being disposed behind the first chamber and accommodating the tank and the muffler. The second chamber is also provided with a front portion and a rear portion continuous with the front portion, the rear portion being shorter than the front portion in average length in a vehicle width direction. The muffler is disposed between the tank and one of a pair of side wall portions defining side walls of the front portion in the vehicle width direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 17, 2018Publication date: July 19, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeaki MURATA, Takanori OTSURA, Yasuhiko OHASHI
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Patent number: 9981693Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle comprises a front room; a vehicle interior; a fuel cell in the front room; a center tunnel; a tank that is at least partly placed in the center tunnel and stores a gas to be supplied to the fuel cell; and a dashboard that separates the front room from the vehicle interior, wherein the fuel cell is placed above the tank such that a profile of the fuel cell does not overlap with a center axis of the tank, the dashboard has an overlapping portion arranged to overlap with a rear portion of the fuel cell and that is located behind a front end of the tank, at least part of a remaining portion of the dashboard other than the overlapping portion is placed flush with the front end of the tank in a vehicle longitudinal direction or is placed in front of the front end of the tank, and in a normal state, a receiving space is provided between a rear end of the fuel cell and the overlapping portion and is configured to allow at least part of the rear portion of the fuel cell to be moved to behind the frType: GrantFiled: August 24, 2016Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Shigeaki Murata
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Publication number: 20180119588Abstract: A vehicle includes a fuel cell, and an exhaust-drain pipe configured to temporarily accumulate water and exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell. The exhaust-drain pipe includes a drain port provided on a bottom face portion of the exhaust-drain pipe and configured to discharge water accumulated in the exhaust-drain pipe to outside the vehicle, and a division plate provided on the bottom face portion of the exhaust-drain pipe so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle front-rear direction, and the drain port are placed on a vehicle front side relative to the division plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 12, 2017Publication date: May 3, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takanori OTSURA, Shigeaki MURATA, Masahiro KATAYAMA
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Publication number: 20180099552Abstract: A holding mechanism includes: a holding plate capable of holding an electronic device for an electric vehicle; a leg portion supporting two long sides of the holding plate; first and second fixing portions provided in the leg portion and separated from each other in a short direction of the holding plate; and a third fixing portion located at or near one of two sides of the holding plate along the short direction and located higher than the first and second fixing portions, wherein the first and second fixing portions can be respectively fixed to first and second mount parts provided in a vehicle body structural member at a front side of the electric vehicle and separated from each other in a width direction or front-rear direction of the electric vehicle, and the third fixing portion can be fixed to a third mount part provided in the vehicle body structural member.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2017Publication date: April 12, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeaki MURATA, Yasuji NISHI
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Patent number: 9937780Abstract: A holding mechanism includes: a holding plate capable of holding an electronic device for an electric vehicle; a leg portion supporting two long sides of the holding plate; first and second fixing portions provided in the leg portion and separated from each other in a short direction of the holding plate; and a third fixing portion located at or near one of two sides of the holding plate along the short direction and located higher than the first and second fixing portions, wherein the first and second fixing portions can be respectively fixed to first and second mount parts provided in a vehicle body structural member at a front side of the electric vehicle and separated from each other in a width direction or front-rear direction of the electric vehicle, and the third fixing portion can be fixed to a third mount part provided in the vehicle body structural member.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2016Date of Patent: April 10, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeaki Murata, Yasuji Nishi
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Patent number: 9868344Abstract: A holding mechanism includes: a holding plate capable of holding an electronic device for an electric vehicle; a leg portion supporting two long sides of the holding plate; first and second fixing portions provided in the leg portion and separated from each other in a short direction of the holding plate; and a third fixing portion located at or near one of two sides of the holding plate along the short direction and located higher than the first and second fixing portions, wherein the first and second fixing portions can be respectively fixed to first and second mount parts provided in a vehicle body structural member at a front side of the electric vehicle and separated from each other in a width direction or front-rear direction of the electric vehicle, and the third fixing portion can be fixed to a third mount part provided in the vehicle body structural member.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2016Date of Patent: January 16, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeaki Murata, Yasuji Nishi
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Publication number: 20170309938Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack including a cathode passage and an anode passage formed thereinside; and a cathode gas supply passage including a first pump discharging cathode gas and connected to an inlet of the cathode passage. The fuel cell system further includes: a cathode off-gas exhaust passage including a back pressure valve and connected to an outlet of the cathode passage; and a circulation passage including a second pump discharging cathode off-gas to circulate cathode off-gas. The fuel cell system circulates cathode off-gas during idling operation to decrease cathodic potential, and increases an opening degree of the back pressure valve to greater than that during idling operation to decrease the cathode back pressure to less than that during idling operation after idling operation is shifted to load operation. This configuration promptly replaces gas in the fuel cell stack.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 8, 2015Publication date: October 26, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shigeaki MURATA