Patents by Inventor Shigeki Hasegawa

Shigeki Hasegawa 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: 10714775
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a low-frequency superimposition section superimposing a the low-frequency signal on a fuel cell; and an impedance computation section configured to compute low-frequency impedance of the fuel cell at a time when the low-frequency superimposition section superimposes the low-frequency signal on the fuel cell. The fuel cell system includes: a diagnosing section diagnosing a degree of dryness inside the fuel cell on the basis of low-frequency impedance; and an oxidant gas amount adjustment section configured to adjust an amount of oxidant gas in the fuel cell. The diagnosing section is configured to diagnose the degree of dryness inside the fuel cell on the basis of the low-frequency impedance when the oxidant gas amount adjustment section adjusts the amount of the oxidant gas to be equal to or smaller than a reference gas amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuji Ishikawa, Takashi Yamamoto, Shigeki Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 10714769
    Abstract: A fuel cell system, comprising: a fuel cell stack including a stacked body provided by stacking a plurality of cells in a stacking direction; a compressor configured to feed a purge gas to a cathode of the fuel cell stack; a controller configured to control the compressor, such as to perform stop-time purging that purges the cathode of the fuel cell stack when operation of the fuel cell system is stopped; a first temperature gauge configured to measure a first temperature value that reflects temperature of a cell placed near a center in the stacking direction among the plurality of cells constituting the stacked body and to input the measured first temperature value into the controller; and a second temperature gauge configured to measure a second temperature value that reflects temperature of a cell placed near an end in the stacking direction among the plurality of cells constituting the stacked body and to input the measured second temperature value into the controller, wherein the controller is configured
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigeki Hasegawa, Masashi Toida
  • Patent number: 10714773
    Abstract: A system for heating or cooling a fuel cell circuit includes a fuel cell stack designed to receive a fluid. The system also includes a temperature sensor to detect a fluid temperature of the fluid, an actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature, and an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU is designed to receive a target fuel cell temperature corresponding to the fuel cell stack and based on a power request, to determine a temperature rate of change corresponding to a desired rate of temperature change of a current fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell stack to achieve the target fuel cell temperature based on the target fuel cell temperature, and to control the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature based on the temperature rate of change to cause the current fuel cell temperature to increase or decrease to the target fuel cell temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20200168939
    Abstract: A fuel cell monitoring device includes: an impedance measuring part measuring an impedance at each fuel cell and an impedance at a fuel cell stack as a whole; a water content estimating part calculating a water content estimated value at each fuel cell using a gas diffusion resistance obtained from a measurement result about the impedance at each fuel cell, and calculating a water content reference estimated value indicating a water content in each fuel cell using a gas diffusion resistance obtained from a measurement result about the impedance at the fuel cell stack as a whole; and a determining part detecting at least either the occurrence of deterioration of catalyst in the fuel cell or the occurrence of a distribution failure of reactive gas at the fuel cell by determining based on the magnitude of the water content estimated value relative to the water content reference estimated value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Chiaki MIZUTANI, Ikuyasu KATO, Miho HATAZAKI, Kazuo YAMAMOTO, Shigeki HASEGAWA
  • Publication number: 20200144638
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a voltage detector; a current detector; an alternating current signal supply unit; a phase difference calculation unit configured to calculate, based on detected alternating voltage and detected alternating current, a phase difference between the detected alternating current and the detected alternating voltage; and an estimation unit configured to estimate, in accordance with the phase difference, an electric power generation distribution feature amount representing an electric power generation distribution in a cell surface of the fuel cell, with use of a predetermined relationship between the electric power generation distribution feature amount and the phase difference. The electric power generation distribution feature amount includes a value indicating a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of local current density in the cell surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Inventors: Chiaki MIZUTANI, Shigeki HASEGAWA, Kazuo YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 10547070
    Abstract: A system for determining desired control paths for controlling operation of a fuel cell circuit includes a memory to store a model of the fuel cell circuit and an input device to receive system requirements. The system also includes a model processor designed to select sets of time-series actuator states corresponding to time-series control of an actuator of the fuel cell circuit and to perform simulations of the model using the multiple sets of time-series actuator states as controls for the actuator. The model processor is also performs an analysis of results of the simulations to determine whether the results for each of the multiple sets of time-series actuator states satisfy the system requirements and how far the results are from the system requirements, and selects a final set of time-series actuator states that satisfy the system requirements based on the analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jyotirmoy V. Deshmukh, Xiaoqing Jin, Jared Farnsworth, Shigeki Hasegawa
  • Publication number: 20200006792
    Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell system including: a fuel cell; a reactant gas supply section; a converter; an alternating-current superimposing unit; a phase difference deriving unit configured to derive a phase difference that is a phase lag of an alternating-current voltage relative to an alternating current in an alternating-current component output from the fuel cell; and a first inference unit. The first inference unit infers that the fuel cell is in an inappropriate wet state, when the absolute value of an amount of change in the phase difference has become equal to or larger than a predetermined criterion value immediately after the magnitude of a change in the value of at least one of parameters that are a flow rate of a reactant gas, a stoichiometric ratio, and an output current has exceeded a predetermined criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Chiaki MIZUTANI, Shigeki HASEGAWA, Kazuo YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20190363376
    Abstract: An FC (fuel cell) system includes: an FC; a radiator configured to cool a CL (cooling liquid); an ion exchanger provided in a BFP (bypass flow path) branched off from a CFP (circulation flow path) for allowing the CL to circulate between the FC and the radiator; a multi-way valve provided in a branching point at which the BFP is branched off from the CFP; and a pump which circulates the CL. A percentage of the CL that is made to flow through the BFP can be controlled by the multi-way valve. In a case in which a stop time is longer than a threshold time when the FC system is started up, after the CL is circulated through the radiator, the CL is circulated through the BFP at the percentage of 80% or more until electrical conductivity of the CL becomes smaller than a threshold electrical conductivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita YAMAUE, Shigeki HASEGAWA, Hiroyuki IMANISHI, Tomotaka ISHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 10424796
    Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell system comprising a first fuel stack, a first temperature gauge configured to measure a first temperature value, a power generation voltage meter configured to measure a power generation voltage, a cell voltage meter and a controller configured to control a temperature regulating mechanism such as to perform a temperature rise of the fuel cell stack. The controller is further configured to start the temperature rise of the fuel cell stack when a cell voltage is lower than a predetermined voltage value. When at least one of a plurality of time measurement conditions is satisfied after the first temperature value has reached a first reference temperature after a start of the temperature rise, the controller measures a time duration during which a voltage difference by subtracting the cell voltage from an average voltage of cells is maintained to be not greater than a predetermined voltage difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeki Hasegawa, Masashi Toida
  • Publication number: 20190260047
    Abstract: A fuel cell system is equipped with a control unit that controls a rotational speed of the turbo compressor that supplies air to an air supply flow passage and an opening degree of at least one valve that adjusts a flow rate and a pressure of the air supplied to a fuel cell such that an operating point of the turbo compressor becomes a target operating point. The control unit sets the target operating point within an operating point range that is on the higher flow rate side than at least part of a first region where an amount of change in flow rate is larger than a predetermined value when a pressure ratio of the turbo compressor is changed by a predetermined amount at a same rotational speed, on a higher flow rate side than a surging region, when a predetermined condition is fulfilled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Yusuke MIYAMOTO, Shigeki HASEGAWA, Naoki TOMI, Nobukazu MIZUNO, Masafumi YAMAGATA
  • Publication number: 20190260042
    Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell system including: a pressure measurement unit that acquires a measured pressure value of an anode gas at an anode gas inlet or an anode gas outlet of a fuel cell; and a water amount estimation unit. The water amount estimation unit obtains, from a plurality of circumstantial parameters including an open time of an injector provided in the anode gas supply passage and the measured pressure value measured before the injector is opened, an assumed pressure rise that is assumed based on the water amount being equal to the water amount threshold value. When a measured pressure rise of the measured pressure value resulting from opening the injector is larger than the assumed pressure rise, the water amount estimation unit estimates that the water amount is larger than the water amount threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Kazuo YAMAMOTO, Shigeki HASEGAWA
  • Publication number: 20190260048
    Abstract: When setting a requested operating point of a compressor that supplies oxidizing gas to a fuel cell by a target flow rate and a target pressure ratio, a control section of a fuel cell system sets the target pressure ratio to be equal to or higher than a minimum pressure ratio corresponding to the target flow rate using a predetermined operation characteristic in which a minimum pressure ratio that can be realized to the flow rate that can be discharged from the compressor. In the case where a condition under which it should be determined that the minimum value of the pressure ratio in an actual operation characteristic of the compressor differs from the minimum pressure ratio in the predetermined operation characteristic is satisfied, the control section updates the minimum pressure ratio in the predetermined operation characteristic using the minimum value of the pressure ratio in the actual operation characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Tomi, Shigeki Hasegawa
  • Publication number: 20190181475
    Abstract: A system for providing oxygen to a fuel cell circuit includes a compressor and a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells. The system also includes a plurality of pipes and a pressure sensor designed to detect pressure at a first location. The system also includes a memory to store a model of the fuel cell circuit and an ECU. The ECU determines a control signal corresponding to desirable operation of the compressor and determines flow values of the gas through each component based on the detected pressure and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also determines pressure values of each component based on the determined flow values and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also controls operation of the compressor based on the control signal, at least one of the flow values, and at least one of the pressure values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Naoki Tomi
  • Publication number: 20190181477
    Abstract: A system for controlling airflow through a fuel cell circuit includes a fuel cell stack. The system also includes a valve having a valve position that affects a pressure of the gas and a valve area corresponding to a cross-sectional area of the valve through which the gas may flow. The system also includes a memory designed to store a map or function that correlates the valve area to the valve position. The system also includes an ECU to determine or receive a desired mass flow rate of the gas through the valve, and calculate a desired valve area to achieve the desired mass flow rate. The ECU is also designed to compare the desired valve area to the map or function to determine a desired valve position that provides the desired valve area, and to control the valve to have the desired valve position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Naoki Tomi
  • Publication number: 20190165396
    Abstract: A system for heating or cooling a fuel cell circuit includes a fuel cell stack designed to receive a fluid. The system also includes a temperature sensor to detect a fluid temperature of the fluid, an actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature, and an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU is designed to receive a target fuel cell temperature corresponding to the fuel cell stack and based on a power request, to determine a temperature rate of change corresponding to a desired rate of temperature change of a current fuel cell temperature of the fuel cell stack to achieve the target fuel cell temperature based on the target fuel cell temperature, and to control the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature based on the temperature rate of change to cause the current fuel cell temperature to increase or decrease to the target fuel cell temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20190165395
    Abstract: A system includes a fuel cell stack that receives a fluid, an actuator to increase or decrease a fluid temperature of the fluid, a pipe to facilitate flow of the fluid, and a memory designed to store a model of the fuel cell circuit. The system also includes an ECU that calculates mass flow values of the fluid through the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on a previously-determined mass flow value and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also calculates a plurality of pressure values corresponding to the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on the plurality of mass flow values and the model, controls the actuator position of the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature based on at least one of the plurality of mass flow values and at least one of the plurality of pressure values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20190165387
    Abstract: A system includes a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells and designed to receive a fluid and to heat the fluid. The system also includes an actuator to increase or decrease a fluid temperature of the fluid and an ECU. The ECU can determine a temperature control signal corresponding to a desired temperature of the fluid and perform a feedforward control of the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature towards the desired temperature. The ECU can also determine a temperature difference between the fluid temperature and the desired temperature, and can determine a sensitivity that corresponds a change in a parameter value or the actuator position to a change in the fluid temperature. The ECU can also apply the sensitivity to the temperature difference to determine an error signal, and control the actuator based on the error signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Farnsworth, Daniel Folick, Naoki Tomi, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20190165394
    Abstract: A system for heating or cooling a fuel cell circuit of a vehicle includes a fuel cell stack, a temperature sensor to detect a fluid temperature of the fluid, a pump to pump the fluid through the fuel cell circuit, and an ECU. The ECU is designed to determine a temperature control signal based on the fluid temperature of the fluid. The ECU is also designed to calculate a desired mass flow rate of the fluid through the fuel cell stack based on the temperature control signal. The ECU is also designed to calculate a desired pump speed of the pump based on the desired mass flow rate of the fluid through the fuel cell stack. The ECU is also designed to control the pump to pump the fluid at the desired pump speed to increase or decrease the fluid temperature of the fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Daniel Folick, Jared Farnsworth, Shigeki Hasegawa, Kentaro Fukuda
  • Patent number: 10290883
    Abstract: A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack, radiator, cooling water feed passage, cooling water discharge passage, bypass cooling water passage, deionizer, stack side cooling water pump, radiator side cooling water pump, and bypass cooling water control valve. The radiator side cooling water pump and bypass cooling water control valve are controlled to selectively perform one of a stack flow through mode where cooling water flows through at least the fuel cell stack and a stack bypass mode where cooling water does not substantially flow through the fuel cell stack but circulates through the radiator and the bypass cooling water passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromichi Sato, Shigeki Hasegawa, Atsuo Iio
  • Patent number: 10276882
    Abstract: A fuel cell system controls an amount of cooling water supplied to a radiator and an amount of cooling water supplied into a radiator bypass pipe by regulating a temperature of a thermostat valve by controlling a temperature of a heat medium in a housing by an air conditioning apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kaori Komatsubara, Shigeki Hasegawa, Hiromichi Sato