Patents by Inventor Takahiro TSUZUKU

Takahiro TSUZUKU 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: 10466303
    Abstract: A state-of-charge estimation device and a state of charge estimation method are provided that estimate a state of charge in a battery having a large polarization, requiring a long time for depolarization, and having a large charge/discharge hysteresis in its SOC-OCV characteristics. The state-of-charge estimation device includes a voltage measuring unit which measures a closed circuit voltage in a battery, a charge estimation unit which estimates a state of charge in a charge mode by referring to charge mode information that associates a closed circuit voltage with a state of charge in the battery, and a discharge estimation unit which estimates a state of charge in a discharge mode by referring to discharge mode information that associates a closed circuit voltage generated by use of a discharge pattern of the battery with a state of charge in the battery by use of the measured closed circuit voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Kenji Nishigaki, Masashi Kidono, Takahiro Tsuzuku, Hiroyuki Nomura
  • Patent number: 10459037
    Abstract: A state-of-charge estimation device includes a transition estimation unit, when a transition from a charge mode to a discharge mode starts, which starts current integration by use of a measured current and obtains a second state of charge by use of a first state of charge at the start of the transition and a current integration value, so as to estimate that the second state of charge is a state of charge upon transition until a target state of charge is reached that is determined by a current integration value obtained for a predetermined time period after the start of the transition, and/or when a transition from a discharge mode to a charge mode starts, which starts current integration by use of a measured current and obtains a sixth state of charge by use of a third state of charge at the start of the transition and a current integration value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Kenji Nishigaki, Masashi Kidono, Takahiro Tsuzuku, Hiroyuki Nomura
  • Patent number: 10436850
    Abstract: A power storage apparatus including a battery and a control circuit controlling charging/discharging of the battery, wherein the control circuit determines, when a predetermined time period that has elapsed after the charging/discharging of the battery was ended is shorter than a polarization elimination time period extending from a time at which the charging/discharging of the battery was ended to a time at which polarization of the battery was judged to have been eliminated, an estimated open-circuit voltage for the battery after the elimination of the polarization of the battery; determines the difference between a first estimated charge state and a charge state determined by a time at which the estimated open-circuit voltage was estimated; and determines a second estimated charge state by summing the state of charge determined by the time at which the estimated open-circuit voltage was estimated and the product of the difference and the reflection coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Junichi Hatano, Takahiro Tsuzuku, Yuki Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 10348105
    Abstract: When it has been determined according to a voltage detected by a voltage detecting unit 31 that a voltage detection line 23 between a focused-on battery 21 and the voltage detecting unit 31 has been broken, operations of each of switches 22 are controlled to separate a battery module 2 that includes the voltage detection line 23 from a power supply apparatus 1. When it has been determined according to the voltage detected by the voltage detecting unit 31 that the focused-on battery 21 has been overcharged or overdischarged, power input to, or output from, every battery module 2 is limited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Hiroko Adaniya, Takahiro Tsuzuku, Hiroyuki Nomura, Junichi Hatano, Ryusuke Hase
  • Publication number: 20190137573
    Abstract: A power storage apparatus including a battery and a control circuit controlling charging/discharging of the battery, wherein the control circuit determines, when a predetermined time period that has elapsed after the charging/discharging of the battery was ended is shorter than a polarization elimination time period extending from a time at which the charging/discharging of the battery was ended to a time at which polarization of the battery was judged to have been eliminated, an estimated open-circuit voltage for the battery after the elimination of the polarization of the battery; determines the difference between a first estimated charge state and a charge state determined by a time at which the estimated open-circuit voltage was estimated; and determines a second estimated charge state by summing the state of charge determined by the time at which the estimated open-circuit voltage was estimated and the product of the difference and the reflection coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Junichi HATANO, Takahiro TSUZUKU, Yuki MURAMATSU
  • Patent number: 10177560
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device is configured to include a monitoring unit that monitors a state of a battery, an interrupter that interrupts a power supply to a load, and another interrupter that interrupts a power supply to the interrupter, wherein the monitoring unit controls an operation of the interrupter such that a power supply to the load is interrupted, and controls an operation of the other interrupter such that a power supply to the interrupter is interrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Satoshi Yamamoto, Hiroaki Kato, Kimihiro Sato, Takuya Yamamoto, Ryusuke Hase, Takahiro Tsuzuku
  • Patent number: 10001527
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of monitoring units (10) that monitor the states of batteries allocates, as identifying information for itself, identifying information corresponding to an input signal inputted from a preceding control unit (3) or monitoring unit (10); outputs, to a subsequent monitoring unit (10), a signal that differs from the input signal corresponding to the identifying information the monitoring unit (10) in question has allocated to itself; and, if and when identifying information corresponding to an input signal differs from the identifying information the monitoring unit (10) in question had allocated to itself, reallocates identifying information corresponding to said input signal as identifying information for itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Ryusuke Hase, Takahiro Tsuzuku, Satoshi Yamamoto, Hiroaki Kato, Takuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9966639
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device is configured to include a monitoring unit that transmits state information that indicates a state of a battery and that interrupts, using an interrupter, a power supply from a battery to a load upon receiving a power-interruption request or when a power supply to the monitoring unit is interrupted, and a controller that transmits a power-interruption request to the monitoring unit upon determining, on the basis of the state information transmitted from the monitoring unit, that an anomaly has occurred in the battery, wherein the controller interrupts, using an interrupter, a power supply to the monitoring unit upon determining that a communication anomaly has occurred between the monitoring unit and the controller, or that an anomaly has occurred in the monitoring unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Ryusuke Hase, Takahiro Tsuzuku, Satoshi Yamamoto, Hiroaki Kato
  • Patent number: 9908429
    Abstract: A battery control unit system is provided that detects a state of a battery used for driving a vehicle and monitors the state of the battery on the basis of detected information so as to control a circuit device surrounding the battery according to a result of the monitoring. The battery control unit system may include an internal power source that is connected directly in parallel with the battery and that supplies power to the battery control unit system, and a microcontroller that operates using the internal power source and detects, by a software process, an on/off-state of a battery pack switch that is provided in a battery pack including the battery and the battery control unit system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Kimihiro Sato, Satoshi Yamamoto, Takahiro Tsuzuku, Ryusuke Hase
  • Publication number: 20170324257
    Abstract: When it has been determined according to a voltage detected by a voltage detecting unit 31 that a voltage detection line 23 between a focused-on battery 21 and the voltage detecting unit 31 has been broken, operations of each of switches 22 are controlled to separate a battery module 2 that includes the voltage detection line 23 from a power supply apparatus 1. When it has been determined according to the voltage detected by the voltage detecting unit 31 that the focused-on battery 21 has been overcharged or overdischarged, power input to, or output from, every battery module 2 is limited.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Hiroko ADANIYA, Takahiro TSUZUKU, Hiroyuki NOMURA, Junichi HATANO, Ryusuke HASE
  • Patent number: 9804248
    Abstract: Upon receiving a setting signal S1, each of a plurality of monitoring units transmits the first setting signal to the subsequent monitoring unit or a control unit, and in a case when it is not possible to receive the first setting signal, the monitoring unit transmits a second setting signal, which indicates an occurrence of a communication abnormality, to the subsequent monitoring unit or the control unit, and when receiving the second setting signal, it changes the received second setting signal so as to transmit the changed second setting signal to the subsequent monitoring unit or the control unit, while the control unit identifies the occurrence location of a communication abnormality in accordance with second setting signal transmitted from the last monitoring unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Ryusuke Hase, Takahiro Tsuzuku
  • Patent number: 9739838
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of monitoring units, when identification information is not set for it, transmits, to a subsequent monitoring unit or a control unit, a fixed unset signal that indicates that identification information has not been set for it, regardless of signal transmitted from the previous monitoring unit or the control unit, and the control unit, upon receiving the unset signal transmitted from a last monitoring unit, shifts to an identification information setting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Ryusuke Hase, Takahiro Tsuzuku
  • Patent number: 9714982
    Abstract: A method and a device are provided for estimating a remaining capacity of a battery. Transient characteristics are generated that represent a correlation between the remaining capacity and a closed circuit voltage, the correlation transitioning from one of a charging-side and a discharging-side characteristic to the other when the charging/discharging of the battery has been switched, on the basis of map data of a charging-side characteristic that is only conducted from a fully-discharged to a fully-charged state and a discharging-side characteristic that is only conducted from the fully-charged to the fully-discharged state, the characteristics representing a correlation between the remaining capacity and the Closed Circuit Voltage of the battery. When charging and discharging of the battery have been switched, the remaining capacity of the battery is estimated from the Closed Circuit Voltage of the battery by using the transient characteristics until polarization of the battery enters a saturated state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Takahiro Tsuzuku, Hiroyuki Nomura, Kenji Nishigaki, Masashi Kidono
  • Publication number: 20170168130
    Abstract: Upon receiving a setting signal S1, each of a plurality of monitoring units transmits the first setting signal to the subsequent monitoring unit or a control unit, and in a case when it is not possible to receive the first setting signal, the monitoring unit transmits a second setting signal, which indicates an occurrence of a communication abnormality, to the subsequent monitoring unit or the control unit, and when receiving the second setting signal, it changes the received second setting signal so as to transmit the changed second setting signal to the subsequent monitoring unit or the control unit, while the control unit identifies the occurrence location of a communication abnormality in accordance with second setting signal transmitted from the last monitoring unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Ryusuke HASE, Takahiro TSUZUKU
  • Publication number: 20170125999
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device is configured to include a monitoring unit that monitors a state of a battery, an interrupter that interrupts a power supply to a load, and another interrupter that interrupts a power supply to the interrupter, wherein the monitoring unit controls an operation of the interrupter such that a power supply to the load is interrupted, and controls an operation of the other interrupter such that a power supply to the interrupter is interrupted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Satoshi YAMAMOTO, Hiroaki KATO, Kimihiro SATO, Takuya YAMAMOTO, Ryusuke HASE, Takahiro TSUZUKU
  • Publication number: 20170117595
    Abstract: A battery monitoring device is configured to include a monitoring unit that transmits state information that indicates a state of a battery and that interrupts, using an interrupter, a power supply from a battery to a load upon receiving a power-interruption request or when a power supply to the monitoring unit is interrupted, and a controller that transmits a power-interruption request to the monitoring unit upon determining, on the basis of the state information transmitted from the monitoring unit, that an anomaly has occurred in the battery, wherein the controller interrupts, using an interrupter, a power supply to the monitoring unit upon determining that a communication anomaly has occurred between the monitoring unit and the controller, or that an anomaly has occurred in the monitoring unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Ryusuke HASE, Takahiro TSUZUKU, Satoshi YAMAMOTO, Hiroaki KATO
  • Publication number: 20170108555
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of monitoring units, when identification information is not set for it, transmits, to a subsequent monitoring unit or a control unit, a fixed unset signal that indicates that identification information has not been set for it, regardless of signal transmitted from the previous monitoring unit or the control unit, and the control unit, upon receiving the unset signal transmitted from a last monitoring unit, shifts to an identification information setting process etc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Ryusuke HASE, Takahiro TSUZUKU
  • Publication number: 20160336736
    Abstract: A method for detecting an abnormality in a relay that can detect that a module relay is inoperative is provided. In a method for detecting an abnormality in a relay in a battery pack comprising a plurality of battery modules connected in parallel to each other and comprising a main relay and module relays, the main relay is shut off if it is determined that a current is flowing in a battery module for which the module relay is not shut off and a current is flowing in a battery module for which the module relay is shut off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Hiroyuki NOMURA, Kenji NISHIGAKI, Takahiro TSUZUKU
  • Publication number: 20160207415
    Abstract: A battery control unit system is provided that detects a state of a battery used for driving a vehicle and monitors the state of the battery on the basis of detected information so as to control a circuit device surrounding the battery according to a result of the monitoring. The battery control unit system may include an internal power source that is connected directly in parallel with the battery and that supplies power to the battery control unit system, and a microcontroller that operates using the internal power source and detects, by a software process, an on/off-state of a battery pack switch that is provided in a battery pack including the battery and the battery control unit system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Kimihiro SATO, Satoshi YAMAMOTO, Takahiro TSUZUKU, Ryusuke HASE
  • Publication number: 20160054393
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of monitoring units (10) that monitor the states of batteries allocates, as identifying information for itself, identifying information corresponding to an input signal inputted from a preceding control unit (3) or monitoring unit (10); outputs, to a subsequent monitoring unit (10), a signal that differs from the input signal corresponding to the identifying information the monitoring unit (10) in question has allocated to itself; and, if and when identifying information corresponding to an input signal differs from the identifying information the monitoring unit (10) in question had allocated to itself, reallocates identifying information corresponding to said input signal as identifying information for itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Ryusuke HASE, Takahiro TSUZUKU, Satoshi YAMAMOTO, Hiroaki KATO, Takuya YAMAMOTO