Patents by Inventor Shigeki Kinomura
Shigeki Kinomura 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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Publication number: 20170305410Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine, an electric motor, an electrical storage device and a controller. The electric motor generates electric power by using driving force of the engine. The controller controls supply of electric power, which is at least one of electric power generated by the electric motor or electric power stored in the electrical storage device, to an outside of the vehicle. The controller selects, on the basis of setting made by a user, whether to permit or prohibit generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2017Publication date: October 26, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shigeki KINOMURA
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Patent number: 9800070Abstract: A discharging control system of a vehicle that supplies power to a load device outside the vehicle via a power cable, includes a connection signal line, a detector, and a controller. The connection signal line is configured such that a potential thereof changes in response to a discharging connector provided on the power cable being connected to the vehicle. The detector is configured to detect the potential of the connection signal line. The controller is configured to control a physical quantity related to the power supplied from the vehicle to the load device, based on the potential detected by the detector.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2013Date of Patent: October 24, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomoya Ono, Shigeki Kinomura, Yoshiyuki Igarashi
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Publication number: 20170282793Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes an engine, a fuel tank, a motor, a battery, a charger, and a notification mechanism. The battery is configured to supply electric power to the motor. The charger is configured to carry out external charging that charges the battery by use of electric power from an external power source. The notification mechanism is configured to notify, to an outside of the vehicle, information on a use index indicative of a degree of use of external charging in a predetermined time period.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 27, 2017Publication date: October 5, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Ryuta ISHIDA, Hiroaki TAKEUCHI, Hiroaki ARAKAWA, Shinji ICHIKAWA, Keita HASHIMOTO, Shigeki KINOMURA, Akio UOTANI, Kazuyuki KAGAWA, Yusuke KINOSHITA
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Publication number: 20170282740Abstract: When a use index indicative of a degree of use of external charging is less than a threshold, an electronic control unit determines that the degree of use of external charging is low, and executes a charging guide control to promote the use of external charging at the time of parking at a battery charging point, such as at home or in a battery charging station, where the external charging is performable. Hereby, it is possible to promote a driver to use external charging at the time of parking at the battery charging point. As a result, the use of external charging can be promoted.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2017Publication date: October 5, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shinji ICHIKAWA, Hiroaki TAKEUCHI, Ryuta ISHIDA, Hiroaki ARAKAWA, Shigeki KINOMURA, Keita HASHIMOTO, Akio UOTANI, Kazuyuki KAGAWA, Yusuke KINOSHITA
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Publication number: 20170282931Abstract: A utilization index IDX is calculated based on one or more parameters (the number of times of charging/the number of trips, total battery charger connection time/total vehicle stop time, total EV traveling distance/total HV traveling distance, total EV traveling time/total HV traveling time, total EV traveling distance/total traveling distance, total EV traveling time/total traveling time, total charge amount/total fuel supply quantity) obtained based on a ratio of an EV traveling utilization level to an HV traveling utilization level or a total traveling utilization level, and the utilization index IDX is stored. Since the utilization index IDX is calculated such that as each parameter is larger, utilization of charging of a battery by a battery charger is performed more sufficiently. Accordingly, the utilization index IDX can be used as an index that offers more accurate determination regarding a utilization status of the battery charging.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2017Publication date: October 5, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shinji ICHIKAWA, Hiroaki TAKEUCHI, Ryuta ISHIDA, Hiroaki ARAKAWA, Shigeki KINOMURA, Keita HASHIMOTO, Akio UOTANI, Kazuyuki KAGAWA, Yusuke KINOSHITA
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Publication number: 20170287234Abstract: A use index IDX indicative of a degree of use of external charging is calculated and transmitted to a vehicle external system. The vehicle external system provides a service or imposes a penalty based on the use index IDX. In a case where the degree of use of external charging is determined to be low based on the use index IDX, if the vehicle external system provides a non-preferential service or imposes a heavy penalty as compared with a case where the degree of use of external charging is determined to be high, a driver or an owner of a vehicle takes an action by which the use index is determined to indicate, a high degree of use of external charging. As a result, the use of external charging can be promoted.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2017Publication date: October 5, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Keita HASHIMOTO, Ryuta ISHIDA, Hiroaki TAKEUCHI, Hiroaki ARAKAWA, Shinji ICHIKAWA, Shigeki KINOMURA, Akio UOTANI, Kazuyuki KAGAWA, Yusuke KINOSHITA
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Publication number: 20170282726Abstract: The number of opportunities where external charging of a vehicle parked in a residential parking space or a charging station in a predetermined period is available is counted as the number of opportunities, and the number of times of the external charging performed in the opportunities in the same predetermined period is counted as the number of times of charging. The number of times of charging is then divided by the number of opportunities to calculate and store a charging frequency. Since the charging frequency is a ratio of the number of times that the external charging was performed to the number of opportunities where the external charging is available in the predetermined period, the ratio is used as an index that can offer more accurate determination regarding an external charging utilization status. As a result, various processing to promote external charging can be executed more properly.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2017Publication date: October 5, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shinji ICHIKAWA, Hiroaki TAKEUCHI, Ryuta ISHIDA, Hiroaki ARAKAWA, Shigeki KINOMURA, Keita HASHIMOTO, Akio UOTANI, Kazuyuki KAGAWA, Yusuke KINOSHITA
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Patent number: 9751421Abstract: A vehicle includes a first inlet to be connected to a commercial power source, a second inlet to be connected to a battery of an HEMS (Home Energy Management System) which supplies electric power greater than electric power supplied by the commercial power source, and an ECU. The ECU indicates one of the first inlet and the second inlet to a user in accordance with a state of a battery of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2011Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeki Kinomura, Shinji Ichikawa, Daisuke Ishii
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Patent number: 9744963Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine, an electric motor, an electrical storage device and a controller. The electric motor generates electric power by using driving force of the engine. The controller controls supply of electric power, which is at least one of electric power generated by the electric motor or electric power stored in the electrical storage device, to an outside of the vehicle. The controller selects, on the basis of setting made by a user, whether to permit or prohibit generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2012Date of Patent: August 29, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shigeki Kinomura
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Patent number: 9627911Abstract: A vehicle includes a power storage device, a power node, and a controller. The controller controls charging and discharging of the power storage device with respect to the outside of the vehicle when the power storage device is able to be charged or discharged with electric power with respect to the outside of the vehicle via the power node. The controller controls discharging of electric power from the power storage device so as to provide a first period in which discharging of electric power from the power storage device to the outside of the vehicle is limited after the power storage device is externally charged with a power supply outside the vehicle, and so as to provide a second period in which discharging limitation in the first period is released at least after the first period ends.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2012Date of Patent: April 18, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shigeki Kinomura
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Patent number: 9539903Abstract: External power supply system includes an electrical storage device, motor, inverter that drives the motor by using electric power of the electrical storage device, and a control device controls the inverter. The inverter includes a first and second switching elements connected in series with each other between a positive and negative electrode power supply lines. A connection-node of the first and second switching elements is connected to one corresponding stator coil. The control device inputs signals to the inverter to drive the inverter such that voltage at the neutral point becomes a predetermined value. The control device compensates for signals in dead time period, the period in which off-state signals are supplied to the first and second switching elements, on the basis of current that is input from the connection-node to one corresponding stator coil or output from one corresponding stator coil to the connection-node while an engine is driven.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2014Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeki Kinomura, Shingo Ueda, Yoshitoshi Watanabe, Takaji Umeno
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Patent number: 9493086Abstract: A house-side ECU executes a program including the steps of, if a charging cable is being connected, if a vehicle can be externally charged by a reservation, and if there is reservation information by a user's input in the vehicle, receiving the reservation information from the vehicle, and if there is reservation information based on a state of the vehicle in the vehicle, receiving the reservation information from the vehicle, selecting one of the reservation information, and making a notification of the reservation information.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2011Date of Patent: November 15, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shigeki Kinomura
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Patent number: 9467001Abstract: A vehicle-side executes a program including the steps of, if setting information is input, storing a charging schedule, and if a prescribed period of time has passed, performing an update process, performing a notification process, and if a charging cable is being connected, performing a reservation charging process.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2012Date of Patent: October 11, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeki Kinomura, Tatsuwo Hatanaka
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Patent number: 9466999Abstract: A vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a charge-discharge system CDS. The charge-discharge system includes the vehicle 10, an electric power cable 20, a plug-in station 30, a HEMS 40, and a commercial power supply 50. In a state where the connector 21 of the electric power cable 20 is connected with the inlet of the vehicle 10, an electric power is discharged/supplied from the vehicle electric storage device 11 to an external electric load (e.g., external electric storage device 41). Further, the vehicle electric storage device 11 is capable of being charged by the external power supply 50 through the electric power cable 20. A control device 12 of the vehicle 10 obtains/detects a permissible current value of the electric power cable 20, based on a specific signal (control pilot signal) which is transmitted through a CPLT terminal of the connector 21 before it starts the discharge to the external electric load from the vehicle electric storage device 11.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2012Date of Patent: October 11, 2016Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Daisuke Ishii, Shigeki Kinomura, Tomoyuki Mizuno, Takashi Ogawa, Hiroki Sawada, Yasuo Suzuki
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Patent number: 9434257Abstract: A power supply connector (410) is used to supply electric power from a hybrid vehicle (100) equipped with an engine (160) and a motor generator (130, 135) to a device outside of the vehicle (100). When the power supply connector (410) is connected to an inlet (220) of the vehicle (100), the power supply connector (410) outputs a signal for performing a power supply operation while allowing operation of the engine (160) to an ECU (300) of the vehicle (100).Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2012Date of Patent: September 6, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeki Kinomura, Tetsuhiro Ishikawa, Takahide Iida, Takafumi Nishimuta
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Patent number: 9387767Abstract: A vehicle 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a charge-discharge system CDS. The charge-discharge system includes the vehicle 10, an electric power cable 20, a plug-in station 30, a HEMS 40, and a commercial power supply 50. From the HEMS 40 to the vehicle 10, a request for charge to charge an electric storage device 11 and a request for discharge to allow an external electric load to use an electric power of the electric storage device 11 are transmitted. When a request is changed from the request for charge to the request for discharge, or vice versa, the vehicle 10 realizes a charge-discharge stop state in which neither a charging operation nor a discharging operation is performed without directly changing from the charging operation to the discharging operation, or vice versa.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2012Date of Patent: July 12, 2016Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Daisuke Ishii, Shigeki Kinomura, Tomoyuki Mizuno, Takashi Ogawa, Hiroki Sawada, Yasuo Suzuki
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Publication number: 20160185241Abstract: A vehicle includes a power feeding inverter that converts at least one of power discharged by a storage apparatus and power generated by activating an engine into alternating current power. The vehicle detects the presence of a user within a predetermined range of the vehicle using at least one of a seat occupancy sensor, a camera provided on the exterior or in the interior of the vehicle, and a reception unit that receives ratio waves from a smart key. When a request for power feeding from the vehicle is issued but the user has not been detected within the predetermined range of the vehicle, power generation by activating the engine is prohibited.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 12, 2014Publication date: June 30, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Shigeki KINOMURA
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Patent number: 9327606Abstract: A charging apparatus includes a fixed member to be fixed to a fixed object, a charging cable unit including a cable, a connecting portion connected to the cable and to be connected to a charging unit provided for a vehicle, a control unit controlling electric power to be supplied to the charging unit, and a case housing the control unit, a cable holder including a case housing section housing the case so as to be pulled out, the charging cable unit being arranged in the cable holder and the cable holder being attachable/detachable to/from the fixed member, and a restricting portion restricting exiting of the case housed in the case housing section from the case housing section when the cable holder is fitted to the fixed member.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2011Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomoya Ono, Shigeki Kinomura, Michiaki Arasu
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Publication number: 20160068066Abstract: External power supply system includes an electrical storage device, motor, inverter that drives the motor by using electric power of the electrical storage device, and a control device controls the inverter. The inverter includes a first and second switching elements connected in series with each other between a positive and negative electrode power supply lines. A connection-node of the first and second switching elements is connected to one corresponding stator coil. The control device inputs signals to the inverter to drive the inverter such that voltage at the neutral point becomes a predetermined value. The control device compensates for signals in dead time period, the period in which off-state signals are supplied to the first and second switching elements, on the basis of current that is input from the connection-node to one corresponding stator coil or output from one corresponding stator coil to the connection-node while an engine is driven.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2014Publication date: March 10, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeki KINOMURA, Shingo UEDA, Yoshitoshi WATANABE, Takaji UMENO
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Patent number: 9278624Abstract: A vehicle is capable of charging a power storage device mounted thereon using electric power from two power paths of an external DC power supply and AC power supply. The vehicle includes a DC charger for converting electric power from the DC power supply into charging electric power for the power storage device, and an AC charger for converting electric power from the AC power supply into charging electric power for the power storage device. A vehicle ECU selects an electric power path to be used for charging based on the state of the power storage device and efficiency of the DC charger and the AC charger.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2011Date of Patent: March 8, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shigeki Kinomura, Shinji Ichikawa, Tomoyuki Mizuno