Patents by Inventor Tatsuya Miwa

Tatsuya Miwa 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).

  • Publication number: 20210305820
    Abstract: A charging system is configured to charge a battery pack including one or more battery cells. The charging system includes an acquirer and a controller. The acquirer is configured to acquire, as an acquisition voltage, a voltage between terminals or a cell voltage of each of the one or more battery cells in the battery pack which is being charged. The controller is configured to, when the voltage between the terminals or the cell voltage reaches a target voltage, cause a first charging mode allowing fast charging to transition to a second charging mode in which a charge current is lower than in the first charging mode. The controller is configured to stop charging operation when the acquisition voltage acquired by the acquirer decreases and an aspect of a decrease in the acquisition voltage satisfies a predetermined condition in the second charging mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Masaki IKEDA, Tatsuya MIWA, Yu OTA
  • Patent number: 10944277
    Abstract: A power tool charging device includes a charging unit that charges a rechargeable battery of a power tool, a condition detection unit that detects condition information of the rechargeable battery, and an information processing unit that receives the condition information of the rechargeable battery from the condition detection unit and outputs the received condition information of the rechargeable battery to a communication unit capable of performing near field communication with another device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Ikeda, Tatsuya Miwa, Naoki Tsuruta
  • Patent number: 10749353
    Abstract: An electric power tool that receives driving power from a rechargeable battery includes loads and a control circuit that controls supply of the driving power from the rechargeable battery to the loads. The control circuit sets and stores for each of the loads a reference voltage value of the rechargeable battery used for stopping or issuing a notification in order to obviate over-discharging of the rechargeable battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Tsuruta, Masaki Ikeda, Tatsuya Miwa
  • Patent number: 9553534
    Abstract: An electric power tool includes a drive source, a rechargeable battery that supplies power to the drive source, a voltage meter that measures voltage of the rechargeable battery, a temperature meter that measures temperature of the rechargeable battery, and a drive control unit that regulates the power supplied to the drive source from the rechargeable battery to drive the drive source. If the battery temperature measured by the temperature meter is lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature when the battery voltage measured by the voltage meter is lower than or equal to a predetermined voltage, the drive control unit drives the drive source differently from normal driving that is performed if the battery temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature when the battery voltage is higher than the predetermined voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Masaki Ikeda, Naoki Tsuruta
  • Patent number: 9430928
    Abstract: A power tool system includes a plurality of tool devices. Each of the tool devices includes a condition detection unit that detects condition information of the tool device and a communication unit capable of performing bidirectional wireless communication with a further one of the tool devices. The communication unit is configured to obtain the condition information of the tool device from the condition detection unit and transmit the obtained condition information of the tool device to the further one of the tool devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Ikeda, Tatsuya Miwa, Naoki Tsuruta
  • Publication number: 20160079895
    Abstract: An electric power tool includes a drive source, a rechargeable battery that supplies power to the drive source, a voltage meter that measures voltage of the rechargeable battery, a temperature meter that measures temperature of the rechargeable battery, and a drive control unit that regulates the power supplied to the drive source from the rechargeable battery to drive the drive source. If the battery temperature measured by the temperature meter is lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature when the battery voltage measured by the voltage meter is lower than or equal to a predetermined voltage, the drive control unit drives the drive source differently from normal driving that is performed if the battery temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature when the battery voltage is higher than the predetermined voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: Tatsuya MIWA, Masaki IKEDA, Naoki TSURUTA
  • Patent number: 9287721
    Abstract: The charger includes: a connector to be connected to a battery; an identification unit configured to perform an identification process of judging whether the battery being connected to the connector is a compliant battery allowed to be directly connected to the connector or a non-compliant battery allowed to be indirectly connected to the connector, and output a result of the identification process; a main charging unit configured to charge the compliant battery according to a main charging condition appropriate to the compliant battery; an auxiliary charging unit configured to charge the non-compliant battery according to an auxiliary charging condition which does not cause a harmful effect on the non-compliant battery; and a control unit configured to receive the result from the identification unit, and, when the result indicates the compliant battery, activate the main charging unit, and, when the result indicates the non-compliant battery, activate the auxiliary charging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Masaki Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20160006279
    Abstract: An electric power tool that receives driving power from a rechargeable battery includes loads and a control circuit that controls supply of the driving power from the rechargeable battery to the loads. The control circuit sets and stores for each of the loads a reference voltage value of the rechargeable battery used for stopping or issuing a notification in order to obviate over-discharging of the rechargeable battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Naoki TSURUTA, Masaki IKEDA, Tatsuya MIWA
  • Publication number: 20160005295
    Abstract: A power tool system includes a plurality of tool devices. Each of the tool devices includes a condition detection unit that detects condition information of the tool device and a communication unit capable of performing bidirectional wireless communication with a further one of the tool devices. The communication unit is configured to obtain the condition information of the tool device from the condition detection unit and transmit the obtained condition information of the tool device to the further one of the tool devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Masaki IKEDA, Tatsuya MIWA, Naoki TSURUTA
  • Publication number: 20160006280
    Abstract: A power tool charging device includes a charging unit that charges a rechargeable battery of a power tool, a condition detection unit that detects condition information of the rechargeable battery, and an information processing unit that receives the condition information of the rechargeable battery from the condition detection unit and outputs the received condition information of the rechargeable battery to a communication unit capable of performing near field communication with another device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Masaki IKEDA, Tatsuya MIWA, Naoki TSURUTA
  • Patent number: 8689900
    Abstract: A rotary tool includes an externally operable operation switch; a motor serving as a power source; a power transfer block for transferring the rotation of the motor; a load detection unit for detecting an amount of load of the motor; and a control unit for controlling the motor. The control unit is configured to perform an operation control by which the motor is controlled so that a rotation speed of the motor is increased in proportion to the operation amount of the operation switch and a feedback control by which the rotation speed of the motor is controlled depending on the detection result of the load detection unit. The control unit inhibits the feedback control during the time when the operation amount of the operation switch is equal to or less than a threshold and performing the feedback control only when the operation amount of the operation switch is greater than the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Masaki Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8643339
    Abstract: A battery pack includes a status detection unit for detecting a status of a battery; a switch unit for interrupting a discharging path of the battery; a notification unit for notifying a user of the status of the battery; an operation unit operable by the user; and control unit for opening and closing the switch unit. The control unit is configured to have the switch unit interrupt the discharging path of the battery when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is abnormal. Further, the control unit is configured to have the notification unit notify the user of the availability to restart a discharging operation and close the switch unit in response to an operation signal inputted from the operation unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is recovered from the abnormal status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Norihiro Iwamura, Motoharu Muto, Masaki Ikeda, Naoki Shimizu, Atsumasa Kubota, Masaaki Okada, Tatsuya Miwa
  • Patent number: 8633824
    Abstract: A charger for an electric power tool includes a charging unit for charging a secondary battery detachably attached to the charger; a notification unit for notifying an operation state of the charging unit by using a combination of a turn-on and turn-off of the notification unit; a brightness reducing unit for reducing a light brightness of the notification unit; and a controller for controlling the notification unit and the brightness reducing unit. If an operation state of the charging unit satisfies a specific condition, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Atsumasa Kubota, Norihiro Iwamura, Masaaki Okada, Naoki Tsuruta, Masaki Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20130234655
    Abstract: The charger includes: a connector to be connected to a battery; an identification unit configured to perform an identification process of judging whether the battery being connected to the connector is a compliant battery allowed to be directly connected to the connector or a non-compliant battery allowed to be indirectly connected to the connector, and output a result of the identification process; a main charging unit configured to charge the compliant battery according to a main charging condition appropriate to the compliant battery; an auxiliary charging unit configured to charge the non-compliant battery according to an auxiliary charging condition which does not cause a harmful effect on the non-compliant battery; and a control unit configured to receive the result from the identification unit, and, when the result indicates the compliant battery, activate the main charging unit, and, when the result indicates the non-compliant battery, activate the auxiliary charging unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Masaki Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8476866
    Abstract: A battery charger for charging a detachably attached battery pack by supplying an electric power from an external power source, the battery charger includes a notification unit for notifying a user of a charging operation by turning on or flickering a light-emitting member. The notification unit notifies the user of a power connection state of the battery charger by turning on or flickering the light-emitting member immediately after the battery charger is electrically connected to the external power source without attaching the battery pack thereto, and the notification unit turns off the light-emitting member after a predetermined period of time lapses and keeps the light-emitting member in an off-state until the battery pack is attached to the battery charger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Masaki Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8344675
    Abstract: A rechargeable electric power tool includes a motor driven by a secondary battery, a switching element for regulating power distribution to the motor, a motor control unit for controlling rotation of the motor through the switching element, a lead wire for supplying a drive current to the motor therethrough and a trigger switch changed over by a user for turning on or off the drive current supplied to the motor through the lead wire. In the rechargeable electric power tool, upon changeover of the trigger switch, a microcomputer determines a magnitude relation between a detected temperature outputted from a first thermistor and a first temperature threshold value. If the detected temperature is determined to be greater than the first temperature threshold value, the microcomputer is set in a limited operation mode in which a revolution number of the motor is limited to a predetermined value or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Power Tools Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Atsumasa Kubota, Masaki Ikeda, Kazuhiko Nishii
  • Patent number: 8084981
    Abstract: In a rechargeable electric power tool, upon changeover of a trigger switch, a microcomputer determines the magnitude relation between the detected temperature outputted from the first thermistor and the first temperature threshold value, the second temperature threshold value and the third temperature threshold value, and the magnitude relation between the first calculated temperature increase rate and the first preset temperature increase rate. If the detected temperature is determined to be greater than the first temperature threshold value or if the first calculated temperature increase rate is determined to be greater than the first preset temperature increase rate after the detected temperature has been determined to be greater than the second temperature threshold value, the microcomputer is set in a limited operation mode in which the revolution number of the motor is limited to a predetermined value or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Power Tools Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Kazuhiko Nishii, Atsumasa Kubota, Kazuto Toyama, Masaki Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7997352
    Abstract: An electric power tool includes a tool body and a battery pack removably mounted to the tool body. The battery pack is used as a power source of the tool body. The electric power tool further includes a lock unit for keeping the battery pack mounted to the tool body and an interrupter switch for interrupting the operation of the tool body when the lock unit does not keep the battery pack mounted to the tool body. Accordingly, the electric power tool is not operable when the battery pack is not completely mounted to the tool body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Hashimoto, Kazuto Toyama, Kazuhiko Nishii, Tatsuya Miwa, Takechika Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 7986128
    Abstract: A battery charger includes an attachment portion capable of being connected to a plurality of battery packs; a connection unit for connecting one of the battery packs connected to the attachment portion to a charging path; a state detection unit for detecting a state of each of the battery packs; a remaining capacity detection unit; and a charging control unit. The remaining capacity detection unit detects a remaining capacity based on the state of the battery pack detected by the state detection unit after each of the battery pack is charged for a specified period of time. Further, the charging control unit assigns priorities to the battery packs such that one whose remaining capacity detected by the remaining capacity detection unit is closer to a fully charged state thereof has a higher priority, and controls the connection unit to charge the battery packs according to the assigned priorities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsumasa Kubota, Masaki Ikeda, Tatsuya Miwa, Naoki Shimizu, Norihiro Iwamura
  • Publication number: 20110120738
    Abstract: A rotary tool includes an externally operable operation switch; a motor serving as a power source; a power transfer block for transferring the rotation of the motor; a load detection unit for detecting an amount of load of the motor; and a control unit for controlling the motor. The control unit is configured to perform an operation control by which the motor is controlled so that a rotation speed of the motor is increased in proportion to the operation amount of the operation switch and a feedback control by which the rotation speed of the motor is controlled depending on the detection result of the load detection unit. The control unit inhibits the feedback control during the time when the operation amount of the operation switch is equal to or less than a threshold and performing the feedback control only when the operation amount of the operation switch is greater than the threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: Panasonic Electric Works Power Tools Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miwa, Masaki Ikeda