Patents by Inventor Tatsuaki Yokoyama
Tatsuaki Yokoyama 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: 9028570Abstract: An odorant addition device for adding odorant to fuel gas in a gas system that consumes the fuel gas, the device including: an addition unit for adding the odorant to fuel gas to be consumed by the gas system; an environmental condition detection unit for detecting in the gas system an environmental condition regarding diffusion of odorant in fuel gas; and an addition adjustment unit for adjusting mode of odorant addition by the addition unit based on the environmental condition detected by the environmental condition detection unit. In this way, it is possible to detect leakage of fuel gas more reliably and improve safety dramatically, in a gas system that consumes the fuel gas as fuel.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2008Date of Patent: May 12, 2015Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keigo Suematsu, Makoto Ueno, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Hiroshi Fujitani, Atsushi Matsuba, Shuji Hirakata
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Patent number: 8871392Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a hydrogen path for supplying odorant-added hydrogen to the fuel cell, an estimating unit to estimate the depositing of the odorant in the fuel cell, and control unit to heat the fuel cell up to a temperature at which at least part of the odorant deposited in the fuel cell evaporates when the depositing of the odorant is estimated.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2007Date of Patent: October 28, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Nobuo Watanabe, Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Katsuhiko Hirose, Atsushi Matsuba
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Patent number: 8746274Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrogen supply apparatus which can mix an odorant with hydrogen gas even at a low temperature and can detect the leakage of the hydrogen gas. The apparatus comprises a gas storage means for storing hydrogen gas therein, an odorant-addition means for adding an odorant to the hydrogen gas fed from the gas storage means, and a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of at least one of the hydrogen gas stored in the gas storage means, the hydrogen gas fed from the gas storage means and the odorant.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2013Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takahide Izutani, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Syuuji Hirakata, Osamu Yumita, Hiroshi Fujitani, Keigo Suematsu, Masaaki Matsusue, Nobuo Watanabe, Katsuhiko Oshikawa, Katsuhiko Hirose, Takumi Kuwahara, Atsushi Matsuba
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Publication number: 20130189593Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrogen supply apparatus which can mix an odorant with hydrogen gas even at a low temperature and can detect the leakage of the hydrogen gas. The apparatus comprises a gas storage means for storing hydrogen gas therein, an odorant-addition means for adding an odorant to the hydrogen gas fed from the gas storage means, and a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of at least one of the hydrogen gas stored in the gas storage means, the hydrogen gas fed from the gas storage means and the odorant.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2013Publication date: July 25, 2013Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takahide IZUTANI, Tatsuaki YOKOYAMA, Syuuji HIRAKATA, Osamu YUMITA, Hiroshi FUJITANI, Keigo SUEMATSU, Masaaki MATSUSUE, Nobuo WATANABE, Katsuhiko OSHIKAWA, Katsuhiko HIROSE, Takumi KUWAHARA, Atsushi MATSUBA
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Patent number: 8486577Abstract: In a fuel cell system of the invention, a hydrogen leakage detection process closes a shutoff valve, which shuts off a supply of hydrogen from a hydrogen supply unit into a hydrogen supply flow path, and opens a pressure regulator, which reduces a pressure of hydrogen in the hydrogen supply flow path, so as to keep the hydrogen supply flow path in a state with no pressure regulation and make the fuel cell system in a leakage detectable state. In this leakage detectable state, the hydrogen leakage detection process measures at least one of a pressure and a flow rate as a state quantity of hydrogen in the hydrogen supply flow path that feeds the supply of hydrogen to fuel cells. The hydrogen leakage detection process analyzes a detected behavior of the state quantity in the leakage detectable process and specifies the occurrence of a hydrogen leakage in the downstream of the hydrogen supply unit.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2006Date of Patent: July 16, 2013Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Koji Katano, Nobuhiro Tomosada
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Patent number: 8232019Abstract: The present invention provides a technology related to a fuel cell system capable of adjusting a discharge amount of an odorant discharged to an outside of a moving body according to a state of the moving body. The fuel cell system mounted to a moving body includes: a fuel cell which generates electric power by electrochemically reacting a hydrogen gas with an oxidation gas; and a adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of an odorant to be discharged to an outside of the moving body according to a state of the moving body, the odorant being included in an anode off-gas discharged from an anode side of the fuel cell.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2010Date of Patent: July 31, 2012Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Shuji Hirakata, Takahide Izutani, Atsushi Matsuba, Katsuhiko Oshikawa
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Publication number: 20110053028Abstract: The present invention provides a technology related to a fuel cell system capable of adjusting a discharge amount of an odorant discharged to an outside of a moving body according to a state of the moving body. The fuel cell system mounted to a moving body includes: a fuel cell which generates electric power by electrochemically reacting a hydrogen gas with an oxidation gas; and a adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of an odorant to be discharged to an outside of the moving body according to a state of the moving body, the odorant being included in an anode off-gas discharged from an anode side of the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2010Publication date: March 3, 2011Inventors: Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Shuji Hirakata, Takahide Izutani, Atsushi Matsuba, Katsuhiko Oshikawa
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Patent number: 7851097Abstract: The present invention provides a technology related to a fuel cell system capable of adjusting a discharge amount of an odorant discharged to an outside of a moving body according to a state of the moving body. The fuel cell system mounted to a moving body includes: a fuel cell which generates electric power by electrochemically reacting a hydrogen gas with an oxidation gas; and a adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of an odorant to be discharged to an outside of the moving body according to a state of the moving body, the odorant being included in an anode off-gas discharged from an anode side of the fuel cell.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2007Date of Patent: December 14, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Shuji Hirakata, Takahide Izutani, Atsushi Matsuba, Katsuhiko Oshikawa
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Patent number: 7794888Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell system that is capable of sensing unintended gas leakage from a discharge control means based on odor. A fuel cell system is provided with a bypass passage 32 connecting a fuel offgas passage 30 at inlet of a odorant removal unit 40 to the fuel offgas passage 30 in the vicinity of outlet of the odorant removal unit 40, and the fuel cell system facilitates the removal of odor from the discharged fuel offgas, by closing a bypass valve 33 in conjunction with opening a purge valve 31, and suppresses the removal of odor, by opening the bypass valve 33 in conjunction with stop of discharge of fuel offgas caused by closing the purge valve 31.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2007Date of Patent: September 14, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Osamu Yumita, Masaaki Matsusue, Takahide Izutani, Keigo Suematsu, Shuji Hirakata, Hiroshi Fujitani
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Publication number: 20100101306Abstract: An odorant addition device for adding odorant to fuel gas in a gas system that consumes the fuel gas, the device including: an addition unit for adding the odorant to fuel gas to be consumed by the gas system; an environmental condition detection unit for detecting in the gas system an environmental condition regarding diffusion of odorant in fuel gas; and an addition adjustment unit for adjusting mode of odorant addition by the addition unit based on the environmental condition detected by the environmental condition detection unit. In this way, it is possible to detect leakage of fuel gas more reliably and improve safety dramatically, in a gas system that consumes the fuel gas as fuel.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2008Publication date: April 29, 2010Inventors: Keigo Suematsu, Makoto Ueno, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Hiroshi Fujitani, Atsushi Matsuba, Shuji Hirakata
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Patent number: 7648787Abstract: In a fuel cell system (100), the amount of fuel gas supplied through an fuel gas supply passage (24) and the amount of fuel gas consumed by a fuel cell (10) are detected. A difference between the amount of supplied fuel gas and the amount of consumed fuel gas is calculated by subtracting the amount of consumed fuel gas from the amount of supplied fuel gas. The pressure of the fuel gas in a leak detection passage (Cx), the change in the pressure of the detected fuel gas can be detected, and the change in the amount of fuel gas in the gas leak detection passage (Cx) due to the change in the pressure of the fuel gas can thus be detected. The difference is corrected by subtracting the change in the amount of fuel gas in the gas leak detection passage from the difference. When the corrected difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a fuel gas leak is detected in the leak detection passage (Cx).Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2005Date of Patent: January 19, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Kenji Umayahara, Nobuhiro Tomosada
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Publication number: 20090325013Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a hydrogen path for supplying odorant-added hydrogen to the fuel cell, an estimating unit to estimate the depositing of the odorant in the fuel cell, and control unit to heat the fuel cell up to a temperature at which at least part of the odorant deposited in the fuel cell evaporates when-the depositing of the odorant is estimated.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2007Publication date: December 31, 2009Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Nobuo Watanabe, Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Katsuhiko Hirose, Atsushi Matsuba
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Publication number: 20090317675Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell system that is capable of sensing unintended gas leakage from a discharge control means based on odor. A fuel cell system is provided with a bypass passage 32 connecting a fuel offgas passage 30 at inlet of a odorant removal unit 40 to the fuel offgas passage 30 in the vicinity of outlet of the odorant removal unit 40, and the fuel cell system facilitates the removal of odor from the discharged fuel offgas, by closing a bypass valve 33 in conjunction with opening a purge valve 31, and suppresses the removal of odor, by opening the bypass valve 33 in conjunction with stop of discharge of fuel offgas caused by closing the purge valve 31.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2007Publication date: December 24, 2009Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Osamu Yumita, Masaaki Matsusue, Takahide Izutani, Keigo Suematsu, Shuji Hirakata, Hiroshi Fujitani
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Publication number: 20090110990Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrogen supply apparatus which can mix an odorant with hydrogen gas even at a low temperature and can detect the leakage of the hydrogen gas. The apparatus comprises a gas storage portion which stores hydrogen gas therein, an odorant-addition portion which adds an odorant to the hydrogen gas fed from the gas storage portion, and a temperature control portion which controls the temperature of at least one of the hydrogen gas stored in the gas storage portion, the hydrogen gas fed from the gas storage portion and the odorant.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2006Publication date: April 30, 2009Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHKI KAISHAInventors: Takahide Izutani, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Syuuji Hirakata, Osamu Yumita, Hiroshi Fujitani, Keigo Suematsu, Masaaki Matsusue, Nobuo Watanabe, Katsuhiko Oshikawa, Katsuhiko Hirose, Takumi Kuwahara, Atsushi Matsuba
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Publication number: 20090096464Abstract: An electrical leakage determining circuit determines the occurrence of electrical leakage at a negative electrode of a fuel cell when a potential difference V between a positive electrode of the fuel cell and ground, which is detected by a potential difference detecting circuit, exceeds a preset potential difference threshold Vth, and determines the occurrence of electrical leakage at the positive electrode of the fuel cell when an insulation resistance R between the positive electrode of the fuel cell and ground, which is detected by a resistance detection circuit, falls below a resistance threshold Rth preset to be equal to or smaller than a resistance value Rw of a coolant. Upon determination of the occurrence of electrical leakage, the electrical leakage determining circuit opens a switching contact provided on a power supply line to interrupt power supply from the fuel cell to various power consumption components.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2008Publication date: April 16, 2009Inventors: Hideyuki Tanaka, Shuji Hirakata, Tatsuaki Yokoyama
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Publication number: 20090035612Abstract: In a fuel cell system of the invention, a hydrogen leakage detection process closes a shutoff valve, which shuts off a supply of hydrogen from a hydrogen supply unit into a hydrogen supply flow path, and opens a pressure regulator, which reduces a pressure of hydrogen in the hydrogen supply flow path, so as to keep the hydrogen supply flow path in a state with no pressure regulation and make the fuel cell system in a leakage detectable state. In this leakage detectable state, the hydrogen leakage detection process measures at least one of a pressure and a flow rate as a state quantity of hydrogen in the hydrogen supply flow path that feeds the supply of hydrogen to fuel cells. The hydrogen leakage detection process analyzes a detected behavior of the state quantity in the leakage detectable process and specifies the occurrence of a hydrogen leakage in the downstream of the hydrogen supply unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2006Publication date: February 5, 2009Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Koji Katano, Nobuhiro Tomosada
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Publication number: 20080226957Abstract: The present invention provides a technology related to a fuel cell system capable of adjusting a discharge amount of an odorant discharged to an outside of a moving body according to a state of the moving body. The fuel cell system mounted to a moving body includes: a fuel cell which generates electric power by electrochemically reacting a hydrogen gas with an oxidation gas; and a adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of an odorant to be discharged to an outside of the moving body according to a state of the moving body, the odorant being included in an anode off-gas discharged from an anode side of the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2007Publication date: September 18, 2008Inventors: Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Shuji Hirakata, Takahide Izutani, Atsushi Matsuba, Katsuhiko Oshikawa
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Publication number: 20080197832Abstract: An electrical leakage detection apparatus for a fuel cell includes a voltage detector that detects a voltage applied to coolant in a fuel cell; an electrical leakage determining portion that determines that electrical leakage has occurred when the voltage detected by the voltage detector is equal to or higher than a voltage threshold value; a resistance value detector that detects a resistance value of the coolant in the fuel cell; and a correction portion that corrects the voltage threshold value such that the voltage threshold value is increased with an increase in the resistance value detected by the resistance value detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2005Publication date: August 21, 2008Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Tatsuaki Yokoyama
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Publication number: 20070224473Abstract: In a fuel cell system (100), the amount of fuel gas supplied through an fuel gas supply passage (24) and the amount of fuel gas consumed by a fuel cell (10) are detected. A difference between the amount of supplied fuel gas and the amount of consumed fuel gas is calculated by subtracting the amount of consumed fuel gas from the amount of supplied fuel gas. The pressure of the fuel gas in a leak detection passage (Cx), the change in the pressure of the detected fuel gas can be detected, and the change in the amount of fuel gas in the gas leak detection passage (Cx) due to the change in the pressure of the fuel gas can thus be detected. The difference is corrected by subtracting the change in the amount of fuel gas in the gas leak detection passage from the difference. When the corrected difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a fuel gas leak is detected in the leak detection passage (Cx).Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2005Publication date: September 27, 2007Inventors: Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Kenji Umayahara, Nobuhiro Tomosada
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Patent number: 6697726Abstract: A rolling control apparatus and method for controlling rolling of a vehicle controls braking force applied to at least one wheel of the vehicle. The apparatus and method set a target roll angle of the vehicle based on a rolling state of the vehicle, calculate a total control quantity for achieving the target roll angle, based on a running condition of the vehicle, and control the braking force applied to each wheel of the vehicle, based on the total control quantity.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2001Date of Patent: February 24, 2004Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masashi Takagi, Masami Aga, Tatsuaki Yokoyama