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: 11052842
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes: first and second power supplies, and a control unit controlling to, when a remaining capacity difference between the first power supply and the second power supply is large, to reduce a first operating range, in which the connection state with the electrical load is controlled to be series connection state of the power supplies, and increase a second operating range, in which the connection state with the electrical load is controlled to be the parallel connection state of the power supplies or the single connection state of one of the power supplies having a larger remaining capacity, as compared with a case where the remaining capacity difference is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Niimi, Naoyoshi Takamatsu, Shunya Kobayashi, Satoru Ito, Takuya Sakamoto, Hirotsugu Ohata, Shigeaki Goto, Shuji Tomura, Naoki Yanagizawa
  • Publication number: 20210203178
    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: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tsukada, Shuji Tomura, Kazuo Ootsuka, Naoki Yanagizawa, Kyosuke Tanemura, Junta Izumi, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 11050247
    Abstract: The present teaching provides a power supply system capable of fully utilizing a plurality of batteries having different performances. A power supply system disclosed here includes a main line, a plurality of sweep modules, and a controller. Each of the sweep modules includes a battery module and an electric power circuit module. The electric power circuit module includes a switching device for connecting a connection state between the battery modules and the main line between connection and disconnection. The controller performs sweep control of sequentially switching the battery module connected to the main line among the plurality of battery modules. During an input of electric power from outside, the controller disconnects the battery module whose SOC level satisfies a high SOC condition from the main line (S7), and continues sweep control (S8, S9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 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: 11034258
    Abstract: A power supply of a vehicle includes a first switching element, a second switching element, a third switching element, a first battery, a reactor element, a second battery, a smoothing capacitor, and a controller. When the connection state of the first battery and the second battery is switched from the series connection state to the parallel connection state, the controller is configured to perform a transition control so that a voltage of the smoothing capacitor is decreased to the higher of a voltage of the first battery and a voltage of the second battery, and perform a switching control to turn on the first switching element after a diode of the first switching element is energized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Niimi, Naoyoshi Takamatsu, Shunya Kobayashi, Satoru Ito, Takuya Sakamoto, Hirotsugu Ohata, Naoki Yanagizawa, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto
  • Patent number: 11011982
    Abstract: A power supply device includes battery circuit modules each having a battery, a first switching element S1 connected in parallel to the battery, and a second switching element S2 connected in series to the battery between the battery and the first switching element S1, the second switching element S2 being turned off when the first switching element S1 is turned on, a battery circuit module group in which the battery circuit modules are connected in series, and a control circuit for outputting, at intervals of a certain time, a gate signal for turning on and off the first switching element S1 and the second switching element S2 to the battery circuit modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
    Inventors: Shigeaki Goto, Keisuke Ishikawa, Shuji Tomura, Naoki Yanagizawa
  • Patent number: 10985606
    Abstract: A power supply system disclosed here is connected to an electric power system through a distribution device. The power supply system includes a plurality of strings connected to the distribution device and a failure detector. The failure detector of the power supply system is configured to perform a first process of connecting at least one battery module to a main line to set a voltage detected by a string voltage detector at a voltage higher than a predetermined voltage in a state where a switch disconnects the distribution device and the main line, a second process of sending a disconnecting signal for disconnecting all the sweep modules from the main line, and a third process of determining whether the voltage detected by the string voltage detector is lower than the predetermined determination voltage or not after the second process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 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: 10972006
    Abstract: A power supply device includes battery circuit modules each having a battery, a first switching element S1 connected in parallel to the battery, and a second switching element S2 connected in series to the battery between the battery and the first switching element S1, the second switching element S2 being turned off when the first switching element S1 is turned on, a battery circuit module group in which the battery circuit modules are connected in series, and a control circuit for outputting, at intervals of a certain time, a gate signal for turning on and off the first switching element S1 and the second switching element S2 to the battery circuit modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
    Inventors: Shigeaki Goto, Keisuke Ishikawa, Shuji Tomura, Naoki Yanagizawa
  • Patent number: 10965150
    Abstract: The present teaching provides a power supply system capable of appropriately performing replacement or repairing of a component of a module where a problem occurs without stopping the entire operation, in a case where the problem occurs in of the module in a plurality of modules. The power supply system includes a plurality of sweep modules, a problem detector, an indicator, and a controller. Each sweep module includes a battery module and an electric power circuit module. The problem detector detects a problem for each sweep module. The indicator indicates a sweep module in which a problem is detected. In a case where a problem is detected in the sweep module (S4: YES), the controller causes the indicator to indicate a failure sweep module in which the problem is detected (S5). The controller disconnects the failure sweep module from a main line, and continues sweep control (S6 through S8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 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: 10944262
    Abstract: A control device of a power supply system includes a stopping process unit. The stopping process unit is configured to operate a switching element when connection between a power system and a main line is cut off by a system breaker and to perform a stopping process of sequentially switching battery modules which are connected to the main line such that the number of battery modules which are connected to the main line decreases gradually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 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: 10923924
    Abstract: A power supply device of a vehicle includes a negative electrode terminal connected to a first battery; a positive electrode terminal connected to a second battery; a first positive electrode side relay between a first node and the first battery; a first capacitor connected between the first node and a negative line; a first negative electrode side relay between the first battery and the negative line; a first precharge relay and a first resistive element connected in parallel with the first negative electrode side relay; a second positive electrode side relay between a third node and the second battery; a second capacitor between the third node and a second node; a second negative electrode side relay between the second battery and the second node; and a second precharge relay and a second resistive element connected in parallel with the second positive electrode side relay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunya Kobayashi, Yoshitaka Niimi, Naoyoshi Takamatsu, Satoru Ito, Takuya Sakamoto, Hirotsugu Ohata, Naoki Yanagizawa, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto
  • Patent number: 10876851
    Abstract: An environment adjustment system includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire environmental information of an environment related to a user, a drafting unit configured to draft an action plan to recommend to the user based on the environmental information, a transmission unit configured to transmit the action plan to the user's terminal, and a confirming unit configured to confirm whether the user has performed the action plan. When the drafting unit drafts a new action plan for another user or for the user, it drafts the new action plan using a result of the confirmation by the confirming unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Iwai, Koji Yamada, Marie Ishikawa, Akinori Sato, Hiroyuki Yamada, Akira Shichi, Masanori Ishigaki, Shuji Tomura, Kenji Ito, Reiko Makino, Keisuke Ichige
  • Patent number: 10846786
    Abstract: A storage battery module rental system includes a storage battery module prepared in each providing point that is dispersedly distributed and that can be rented to a user, an acquisition unit configured to acquire individual information of a plurality of the users and module information from the storage battery module, the user being a rentee candidate of the storage battery module, a determining unit configured to determine an incentive given for renting the storage battery module based on the individual information and the module information in such a way that the incentive could differ for each user; and a notifying unit configured to notify the user of the incentive determined by the determining unit for each of the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Iwai, Koji Yamada, Marie Ishikawa, Akinori Sato, Masanori Ishigaki, Shuji Tomura, Shigeaki Goto, Makoto Kusakabe, Tomoki Nishi, Akira Shichi, Hiroyuki Yamada
  • Publication number: 20200198563
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes: first and second power supplies, and a control unit controlling to, when a remaining capacity difference between the first power supply and the second power supply is large, to reduce a first operating range, in which the connection state with the electrical load is controlled to be series connection state of the power supplies, and increase a second operating range, in which the connection state with the electrical load is controlled to be the parallel connection state of the power supplies or the single connection state of one of the power supplies having a larger remaining capacity, as compared with a case where the remaining capacity difference is small.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshitaka NIIMI, Naoyoshi TAKAMATSU, Shunya KOBAYASHI, Satoru ITO, Takuya SAKAMOTO, Hirotsugu OHATA, Shigeaki GOTO, Shuji TOMURA, Naoki YANAGIZAWA
  • Publication number: 20200177178
    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: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: 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
  • Publication number: 20200177019
    Abstract: A power supply system disclosed here is connected to an electric power system through a distribution device. The power supply system includes a plurality of strings connected to the distribution device and a failure detector. The failure detector of the power supply system is configured to perform a first process of connecting at least one battery module to a main line to set a voltage detected by a string voltage detector at a voltage higher than a predetermined voltage in a state where a switch disconnects the distribution device and the main line, a second process of sending a disconnecting signal for disconnecting all the sweep modules from the main line, and a third process of determining whether the voltage detected by the string voltage detector is lower than the predetermined determination voltage or not after the second process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: 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
  • Publication number: 20200176982
    Abstract: A control device of a power supply system includes a stopping process unit. The stopping process unit is configured to operate a switching element when connection between a power system and a main line is cut off by a system breaker and to perform a stopping process of sequentially switching battery modules which are connected to the main line such that the number of battery modules which are connected to the main line decreases gradually.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: 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
  • Publication number: 20200177018
    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: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: 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
  • Publication number: 20200176983
    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: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: 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
  • Publication number: 20200166576
    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: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Applicant: 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
  • Publication number: 20200169082
    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: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Applicant: 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