Patents by Inventor Takeru Okabe
Takeru Okabe 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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Patent number: 10156217Abstract: Provided is a device for performing an automatic stop operation for an internal combustion engine when a predetermined automatic stop requirement is satisfied during an operation of the internal combustion engine and performing a restart operation for the internal combustion engine when a predetermined restart requirement is satisfied during an automatic stop time period of the internal combustion engine. In the device, restart control means (22) executes fuel injection control at the time of start of the restart operation by determining whether or not initial asynchronous injection of a fuel into a cylinder that is in an intake stroke is executable in accordance with an initially detected crank angle after the start of the restart operation and determining a next fuel injection cylinder and a fuel injection timing for the next fuel injection cylinder.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2012Date of Patent: December 18, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Tomohisa Shoda, Takeru Okabe, Osamu Ishikawa
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Patent number: 9739249Abstract: In order to provide an engine automatic stop and restart apparatus capable of realizing excellent startability, and preventing an excessive load from being imposed on a starter (30) and a power transmission system, a starter drive inhibition determination section (12) inhibits, in a case where an engine restart condition is satisfied, when a backward rotation of an engine (20) is detected based on a crank angle of a crankshaft of the engine (20) detected by a crank angle sensor (1) for detecting the crank angle, a drive of the starter (30) configured to crank the crankshaft so as to restart the engine (20), and releases, when a stop of the engine (20) is detected, the drive inhibition of the starter (30).Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2012Date of Patent: August 22, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Masami Nakashima, Takeru Okabe, Osamu Ishikawa, Michitaka Fujiwara
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Patent number: 9738172Abstract: Provided are a power generation control method for a vehicle configured to perform idling stop at a predetermined vehicle speed or less by a stop/start system, the vehicle including: a power generator configured to be driven by an internal combustion engine to generate power; and a battery to be charged by the power generated by the power generator, the power being generated in the vehicle under control so as to reduce an amount of fuel to be consumed by the internal combustion engine for power generation, the power generation control method including: detecting a charged and discharged state of the battery; and controlling the internal combustion engine to interrupt power generation involving fuel consumption when a charged state of the battery has recovered to a charged state before the idling stop through charging after the idling stop in accordance with the detected charged and discharged state.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2012Date of Patent: August 22, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Hideaki Tani, Toshiaki Date, Satoshi Wachi, Takeru Okabe
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Patent number: 9726134Abstract: A device for automatically stopping and restarting an internal combustion engine is provided with a crank angle sensor (1) that detects a crank angle of an engine (10), a fuel injection unit (11) that injects fuel into the engine, and the device is also provided with a starter activation prohibition determination means that prohibits activation of a starter (20) by determining that the engine is in reverse rotation during inertial rotation of the engine, and removes the starter activation prohibition depending on the crank angle when the engine starts reverse rotation.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2012Date of Patent: August 8, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Takeru Okabe, Osamu Ishikawa, Tomohisa Shoda, Michitaka Fujiwara
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Patent number: 9631596Abstract: The engine starting device for stopping, when an engine automatic stop condition is satisfied, fuel injection to the engine to automatically stop the engine, and for thereafter restarting the engine when an engine restart condition is satisfied, includes: a ring gear coupled to a crankshaft of the engine; a starter motor rotated by a current supply; a pinion gear for transmitting the rotation of the starter motor to the ring gear; a pinion gear moving part for moving the pinion gear toward the ring gear by a current supply, thereby meshing the pinion gear with the ring gear; and a fuel injection control part for restarting the fuel injection so that combustion is generated in a predetermined compression cylinder after the engine restart condition is satisfied and after the pinion gear moving part starts the movement of the pinion gear.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2013Date of Patent: April 25, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Daisuke Mizuno, Osamu Ishikawa, Takeru Okabe, Koichiro Kamei
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Patent number: 9624897Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine capable of controlling an intake-pipe pressure within a range which allows restartability to be ensured. A control device for an internal combustion engine includes: an idle-stop control section for restarting the engine in response to generation of a restart request; and an intake-air amount control section for setting a control amount of an intake system so that the intake air amount becomes zero when an intake-pipe pressure of the engine upon generation of the automatic stop request is higher than a predetermined pressure and setting the control amount of the intake system so that the intake air amount becomes larger than the amount upon generation of the automatic stop request, and then becomes zero when the intake-pipe pressure is lower than the predetermined pressure.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2011Date of Patent: April 18, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Takeru Okabe, Osamu Ishikawa, Tomohisa Shoda, Hideaki Tani, Toru Tanaka
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Patent number: 9624894Abstract: In an automatically stopped internal combustion engine, a rotation speed at next and subsequent ignition timings is predicted at every ignition timing of the internal combustion engine after the internal combustion engine is stopped automatically. Whether self-restorable restarting is allowed is determined according to a comparison result of the predictive rotation speed and a self-restoration determination rotation speed, so that self-restorable restarting is performed in a reliable manner.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2013Date of Patent: April 18, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Tomohisa Shoda, Osamu Ishikawa, Takeru Okabe, Hiroaki Kitano
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Patent number: 9303614Abstract: Provided are an internal combustion engine automatic stop/restart device and an internal combustion engine automatic stop/restart method capable of appropriately releasing a drive inhibition state of a starter (200) depending on an RPM of an internal combustion engine (101). The drive inhibition state of the starter is released when a drive inhibition release determination period, which is set depending on a time interval between a time point when a first reverse rotation crank signal is detected and a time point when a second reverse rotation crank signal is detected and a drive permission lower limit value corresponding period corresponding to a starter drivable RPM lower limit value, elapses before a third reverse rotation crank signal is input.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2013Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Tomohisa Shoda, Takeru Okabe, Osamu Ishikawa
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Patent number: 9267479Abstract: Provided is an engine starting device, including: starter control means for causing, when the restart condition is established during a period in which a meshing inhibition condition for a ring gear and a pinion gear is established, the pinion gear and the ring gear to mesh with each other after the meshing inhibition condition is released, thereby restarting the engine. The starter control means determines the meshing permission condition and the meshing inhibition condition based on at least an engine rotation speed, and determines the release of the meshing inhibition condition before the engine completely stops based on at least one of the engine rotation speed and an elapsed time after the establishment of the meshing inhibition condition.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2012Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Daisuke Mizuno, Yuhei Tsukahara, Osamu Ishikawa, Takeru Okabe, Koichiro Kamei
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Publication number: 20150345457Abstract: In an automatically stopped internal combustion engine, a rotation speed at next and subsequent ignition timings is predicted at every ignition timing of the internal combustion engine after the internal combustion engine is stopped automatically. Whether self-restorable restarting is allowed is determined according to a comparison result of the predictive rotation speed and a self-restoration determination rotation speed, so that self-restorable restarting is performed in a reliable manner.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2013Publication date: December 3, 2015Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Tomohisa SHODA, Osamu ISHIKAWA, Takeru OKABE, Hiroaki KITANO
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Patent number: 9156467Abstract: In power generation control for a vehicle, which is configured to control power generation so as to reduce an amount of fuel consumed by power generation of the internal combustion engine, the vehicle including: a generator configured to be driven by the internal combustion engine to generate electric power; and the battery to be charged by the generated electric power of the generator, the vehicle being configured to stop idling at a predetermined vehicle speed or less, a battery voltage as an inter-terminal voltage of the battery is detected, and the internal combustion engine is controlled to interrupt power generation involving fuel consumption one of when the detected battery voltage reaches a predetermined combustion power generation interruption voltage and when the detected battery voltage exceeds the predetermined combustion power generation interruption voltage.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2013Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Hideaki Tani, Takeru Okabe, Satoshi Wachi
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Publication number: 20150252771Abstract: Provided is a device for performing an automatic stop operation for an internal combustion engine when a predetermined automatic stop requirement is satisfied during an operation of the internal combustion engine and performing a restart operation for the internal combustion engine when a predetermined restart requirement is satisfied during an automatic stop time period of the internal combustion engine. In the device, restart control means (22) executes fuel injection control at the time of start of the restart operation by determining whether or not initial asynchronous injection of a fuel into a cylinder that is in an intake stroke is executable in accordance with an initially detected crank angle after the start of the restart operation and determining a next fuel injection cylinder and a fuel injection timing for the next fuel injection cylinder.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2012Publication date: September 10, 2015Inventors: Tomohisa Shoda, Takeru Okabe, Osamu Ishikawa
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Publication number: 20150219060Abstract: In order to provide an engine automatic stop and restart apparatus capable of realizing excellent startability, and preventing an excessive load from being imposed on a starter (30) and a power transmission system, a starter drive inhibition determination section (12) inhibits, in a case where an engine restart condition is satisfied, when a backward rotation of an engine (20) is detected based on a crank angle of a crankshaft of the engine (20) detected by a crank angle sensor (1) for detecting the crank angle, a drive of the starter (30) configured to crank the crankshaft so as to restart the engine (20), and releases, when a stop of the engine (20) is detected, the drive inhibition of the starter (30).Type: ApplicationFiled: October 12, 2012Publication date: August 6, 2015Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Masami Nakashima, Takeru Okabe, Osamu Ishikawa, Michitaka Fujiwara
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Patent number: 9073497Abstract: A power generation control apparatus in a vehicle includes: a power generator generating power when driven by an internal combustion engine; an electric storage apparatus charged by the power generator; a current sensor measuring a charge and discharge current value; an SOC computation portion estimating an SOC in the electric storage apparatus on the basis of the measured charge and discharge current; a generation voltage computation portion determining a generation voltage of the power generator so that the SOC in the electric storage apparatus becomes a target SOC; a target SOC computation portion setting the target SOC; and a generation cost computation portion calculating an amount of consumed fuel per unit generation output on the basis of an operating point of the internal combustion engine. The target SOC set by the target SOC computation portion is changed according to the calculated amount of consumed fuel per unit generation output.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2011Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Yasufumi Ogawa, Takeru Okabe, Hideaki Tani
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Patent number: 9018794Abstract: An electric power controller for a vehicle with stop-start system is provided to prevent electric energy from being decreased in a power capacitor when an engine is in an idle-stop state. The engine is in the idle-stop state by idle-stop control means, the transfer of the electric energy between the power capacitor and a vehicle-mounted battery is stopped by power control means connected between the power capacitor and the vehicle-mounted battery.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2010Date of Patent: April 28, 2015Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Takeru Okabe, Masaki Horii
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Publication number: 20150096535Abstract: The engine starting device for stopping, when an engine automatic stop condition is satisfied, fuel injection to the engine to automatically stop the engine, and for thereafter restarting the engine when an engine restart condition is satisfied, includes: a ring gear coupled to a crankshaft of the engine; a starter motor rotated by a current supply; a pinion gear for transmitting the rotation of the starter motor to the ring gear; a pinion gear moving part for moving the pinion gear toward the ring gear by a current supply, thereby meshing the pinion gear with the ring gear; and a fuel injection control part for restarting the fuel injection so that combustion is generated in a predetermined compression cylinder after the engine restart condition is satisfied and after the pinion gear moving part starts the movement of the pinion gear.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2013Publication date: April 9, 2015Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Daisuke Mizuno, Osamu Ishikawa, Takeru Okabe, Koichiro Kamei
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Publication number: 20150048802Abstract: Provided are a power generation control method for a vehicle configured to perform idling stop at a predetermined vehicle speed or less by a stop/start system, the vehicle including: a power generator configured to be driven by an internal combustion engine to generate power; and a battery to be charged by the power generated by the power generator, the power being generated in the vehicle under control so as to reduce an amount of fuel to be consumed by the internal combustion engine for power generation, the power generation control method including: detecting a charged and discharged state of the battery; and controlling the internal combustion engine to interrupt power generation involving fuel consumption when a charged state of the battery has recovered to a charged state before the idling stop through charging after the idling stop in accordance with the detected charged and discharged state.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2012Publication date: February 19, 2015Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Hideaki Tani, Toshiaki Date, Satoshi Wachi, Takeru Okabe
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Publication number: 20140345556Abstract: A device for automatically stopping and restarting an internal combustion engine is provided with a crank angle sensor (1) that detects a crank angle of an engine (10), a fuel injection unit (11) that injects fuel into the engine, and the device is also provided with a starter activation prohibition determination means that prohibits activation of a starter (20) by determining that the engine is in reverse rotation during inertial rotation of the engine, and removes the starter activation prohibition depending on the crank angle when the engine starts reverse rotation.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2012Publication date: November 27, 2014Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Takeru Okabe, Osamu Ishikawa, Tomohisa Shoda, Michitaka Fujiwara
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Patent number: 8892340Abstract: The engine controller includes: an engine-rpm increase amount computing section for computing an amount of increase in an engine rpm, generated by first ignition of an engine after a restart condition is satisfied; a start failure determination crank-angle change amount determination value setting section for setting a restart failure determination threshold value based on the amount of increase in the engine rpm; and a restart failure determination section for determining a restart failure when a crank-angle change amount from a first ignition timing of the engine after the satisfaction of the restart condition becomes larger than the restart failure determination threshold value although a complete combustion of the engine is not determined, interrupting a restart operation of the engine, and restarting the restart operation of the engine after elapse of a predetermined period of time.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2012Date of Patent: November 18, 2014Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Osamu Ishikawa, Takeru Okabe, Tomohisa Shoda, Hiroaki Kitano
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Publication number: 20140326208Abstract: Provided are an internal combustion engine automatic stop/restart device and an internal combustion engine automatic stop/restart method capable of appropriately releasing a drive inhibition state of a starter (200) depending on an RPM of an internal combustion engine (101). The drive inhibition state of the starter is released when a drive inhibition release determination period, which is set depending on a time interval between a time point when a first reverse rotation crank signal is detected and a time point when a second reverse rotation crank signal is detected and a drive permission lower limit value corresponding period corresponding to a starter drivable RPM lower limit value, elapses before a third reverse rotation crank signal is input.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 27, 2013Publication date: November 6, 2014Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Tomohisa SHODA, Takeru OKABE, Osamu ISHIKAWA