Patents by Inventor Shuji Tomura

Shuji Tomura 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: 12027893
    Abstract: A power supply device includes: a first high-voltage line for exchanging the electric power externally; a second high-voltage line for applying current flowing in a direction opposite to the first high-voltage line; a plurality of batteries; a plurality of SUs, the SUs being provided corresponding to the respective batteries, switching a connection state of the batteries to the first high-voltage line, and being disposed in a circle; and an SCU that controls the SUs. The SU can switch between a first state in which the battery corresponding to the SU is connected in series to the first high-voltage line and a second state in which the battery is not connected to the first high-voltage line. The SCU controls the SUs to switch to the first state or the second state in accordance with a voltage of the electric power to be charged and discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Masakazu Habu, Hiroshi Tsukada, Atsuhiro Takahashi, Takashi Kojima, Shuji Tomura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura
  • Publication number: 20230291212
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a forcible disconnecting unit configured to forcibly disconnect a battery in a battery module from series regardless of a gate drive signal. The power supply system obtains the number of batteries included in the battery modules which can be forcibly disconnected from the series according to the maximum voltage of the batteries that can be connected in the series and a voltage command value indicating a voltage to be output, and forcibly disconnects the obtained number of the batteries from the series by the forcible disconnecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2022
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takuya MIZUNO, Shuji TOMURA, Naoki YANAGIZAWA, Kazuo OOTSUKA, Hiroshi TSUKADA, Junta IZUMI, Masakazu HABU, Kenji KIMURA, Hironori MIKI, Yasuhiro ENDO, Takayuki BAN
  • Patent number: 11757291
    Abstract: A power supply device includes a plurality of battery modules, the battery modules are connected to one another in series according to a gate driving signal from a controller, the power supply device delays the gate driving signal in a gate driving signal processing circuit included in each of the battery modules, and thereafter, transmits the gate driving signal from an upstream to a downstream of the series connection, and the power supply device controls the battery modules by superimposing a control signal for the battery module on the gate driving signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuji Tomura, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kazuo Ootsuka, Kyosuke Tanemura, Shigeaki Goto, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 11646578
    Abstract: A control device of a power supply system includes a first processing unit and a second processing unit. The first processing unit is a processing unit configured to perform a first process of determining certain strings out of a plurality of strings connected in parallel to a power distribution device. The second processing unit is a processing unit configured to perform a second process of performing inputting of electric power to the plurality of strings connected in parallel to the power distribution device or outputting of electric power from the plurality of strings to the power distribution device using at least the certain strings determined by the first processing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 11635469
    Abstract: Provided is a power supply device which includes a plurality of battery modules each having a secondary battery and in which the battery modules are connected in series with one another according to a gate driving signal from a controller. An SOC control target value that is a target value for states-of-charge of the battery modules is changed according to the number of the battery modules that are available to be connected in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuo Ootsuka, Shuji Tomura, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Shigeaki Goto, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 11560060
    Abstract: A power supply device is provided with a disconnection means (AND element) for forcibly disconnecting a battery module from a series connection regardless of a gate signal. The power supply device forcibly disconnects partial battery modules from the series connection by the disconnection means (AND element) during powering by a power supply output, thereby performing control so that the accumulated discharge current amounts thereof per unit time become smaller than those of the other battery modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
    Inventors: Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Shuji Tomura
  • Patent number: 11500022
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a plurality of sweep modules, a defect detecting unit, and a control unit. Each sweep module includes a battery module and a power circuit module. The defect detecting unit detects a defect for each sweep module. The number of sweep modules is greater S (S?2) than a minimum number of sweep modules required for operation. When the number of defective sweep modules in which a defect has been detected is equal to or less than F (2?F?S), the control unit is configured to disconnect the defective sweep modules from a main line and to continuously execute sweep control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 11476688
    Abstract: Provided is a power supply device which includes a plurality of battery modules and in which the battery modules are connected in series with one another in accordance with a gate driving signal from a controller. The power supply device includes a disconnecting part configured to forcibly isolate the battery module from a series connection regardless of the gate driving signal, and limits, in accordance with a target output voltage value, a number of the battery modules to be forcibly isolated by the disconnecting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki Yanagizawa, Shuji Tomura, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Shigeaki Goto, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 11451140
    Abstract: A power supply device includes a battery circuit module group in which a plurality of battery circuit modules are connected in series via their output terminals. The power supply device further includes a control circuit configured to: output, at intervals of a certain time, a gate signal for turning on and off a first switching element and a second switching element of each battery circuit module to the battery circuit modules in the battery circuit module group; and select one of the battery circuit modules that receives an input of the gate signal to output a predetermined voltage from the power supply device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
    Inventors: Shigeaki Goto, Keisuke Ishikawa, Shuji Tomura, Naoki Yanagizawa
  • Publication number: 20220255329
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a power supply circuit that includes a plurality of battery modules, each of which has a battery. The power supply circuit is configured such that the batteries in the battery modules are connected to each other in series in response to a gate driving signal from a controller. An alternating current voltage having a different phase is output by temporally changing the number of the batteries connected in series in each of a plurality of power supply circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Naoki Yanagizawa, Teckchiang Goh, Kazuo Ootsuka, Hiroshi Tsukada, Shuji Tomura, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Junichi Matsumoto, Masakazu Habu
  • Patent number: 11411414
    Abstract: There is provided a power supply device including a plurality of battery modules, the battery modules being connected in series with one another according to a gate driving signal from a controller, the power supply device transmitting the gate driving signal from upstream of the series connection toward downstream of the series connection after the gate driving signal is delayed at delay circuits included in the respective battery modules, and returning the gate driving signal to the controller from a most downstream battery module, wherein the power supply device performs malfunction determination of the delay circuits based on a time difference from a transmission time of a signal from the controller to a reception time of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigeaki Goto, Kyosuke Tanemura, Shuji Tomura, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kazuo Ootsuka, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 11404897
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a plurality of sweep modules that is connected to a main line. Each sweep module includes a switching element that switches between connection and disconnection between a battery module and the main line and is formed of a MOSFET. A failure detecting device of the power supply system includes a temperature detecting unit configured to detect temperatures of the plurality of sweep modules and a failure determining unit configured to determine whether a difference between a temperature of one sweep module selected from the plurality of sweep modules and a reference temperature which is determined based on the temperatures of other sweep modules is greater than a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 11349156
    Abstract: In a power supply device including a plurality of battery modules each including a secondary battery, in which the battery modules are connected in series to one another according to a gate driving signal from a controller and in each of the battery modules, the gate driving signal is delayed in a gate driving signal processing circuit included in the battery module and then transmitted from upstream to downstream of the series connection, an ID is provided for each of the battery modules by transmitting an ID setting signal for providing an ID unique to the battery module using a gate signal line for transmitting the gate driving signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki Yanagizawa, Shuji Tomura, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Shigeaki Goto, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Publication number: 20220123562
    Abstract: A power supply device includes: a first high-voltage line for exchanging the electric power externally; a second high-voltage line for applying current flowing in a direction opposite to the first high-voltage line; a plurality of batteries; a plurality of SUs, the SUs being provided corresponding to the respective batteries, switching a connection state of the batteries to the first high-voltage line, and being disposed in a circle; and an SCU that controls the SUs. The SU can switch between a first state in which the battery corresponding to the SU is connected in series to the first high-voltage line and a second state in which the battery is not connected to the first high-voltage line. The SCU controls the SUs to switch to the first state or the second state in accordance with a voltage of the electric power to be charged and discharged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junta IZUMI, Kenji KIMURA, Masakazu HABU, Hiroshi TSUKADA, Atsuhiro TAKAHASHI, Takashi KOJIMA, Shuji TOMURA, Kazuo OOTSUKA, Naoki YANAGIZAWA, Kyosuke TANEMURA
  • Patent number: 11302970
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a controller, and a plurality of battery modules. The battery modules are connected in series, according to a gate drive signal from the controller, to provide series connection, and each of the battery modules has a disconnecting device configured to force the battery module to be disconnected from the series connection. The controller is configured to estimate the internal resistance of the battery module disconnected from the series connection by the disconnecting device, from a module voltage of the battery module before the battery module is disconnected from the series connection, a module voltage immediately after the battery module is disconnected, and a module current delivered from the battery module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kyosuke Tanemura, Shuji Tomura, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kazuo Ootsuka, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 11218013
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a plurality of battery modules and a control unit, and supplies electric power from the battery modules in an uppermost stage and a lowermost stage to a load. The control unit is configured to perform ON/OFF control for setting the battery modules to an ON state in an active time, setting the battery modules to an OFF state in a non-active time, and alternately repeating the active time and the non-active time. The control unit is configured to delay an ON/OFF control timing for the battery module in a lower stage adjacent to the battery module in a higher stage by a control delay time in comparison with the battery module in the higher stage. The control unit is configured to randomly determine the control delay times for the battery modules in lower stages than the battery module in the uppermost stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tsukada, Shuji Tomura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 11196252
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a plurality of sweep modules. Each sweep module includes a battery module, an input and output circuit, a switching element, a capacitor, and a line. The input and output circuit connects the battery module to a main line. The switching element switches between connection and disconnection between the battery module and the main line. The capacitor is attached in parallel to the battery module. The line connects the input and output circuit to the battery module. The line is maintained in a state in which a loop portion is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 11196271
    Abstract: Provided is a full-charge-capacity estimating device that has one or more of a plurality of battery modules, as battery-modules-to-be-measured, charged or discharged by means of a first switch element and a second switch element according to whether a power supply device is in a powering state or a regenerating state, measures an integrated current value and a change in the state-of-charge of the battery-module-to-be-measured, and then estimates the full charge capacity of the battery-module-to-be-measured from the integrated current value and the change in the state-of-charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Takayuki Ban
  • Patent number: 11139682
    Abstract: A control device of a power supply system is configured to control inputting of electric power from a power system connected to a power distribution device to a plurality of strings connected to the power distribution device and outputting of electric power from the plurality of strings to the power system and to execute a process of stopping control for switching the at least one switching element between connection and disconnection on a string in which inputting of electric power and outputting of electric power are stopped out of the plurality of strings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi
  • Patent number: 11101648
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a main line, a plurality of sweep modules, and a control unit. Each sweep module includes a battery module and a power circuit module. The power circuit module switches between connection and disconnection between the battery module and the main line. The control unit executes sweep control for sequentially switching the battery modules which are to be connected to the main line. The control unit maintains connection of a refreshing module which is to be subjected to refreshing charging/discharging to the main line while sweep control is being executed in a state in which the refreshing module is excluded in at least one of outputting of electric power to the outside and inputting of electric power from the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Juni Yasoshima, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura, Toshihiro Katsuda, Kohei Matsuura, Junichi Matsumoto, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Takayuki Ban, Hironobu Nishi