Patents by Inventor Tomohiko Kaneko

Tomohiko Kaneko 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: 11973411
    Abstract: To provide a power supply unit configured to determine the boundary between the operation modes (continuous mode and discontinuous mode) of a converter with high accuracy. The power supply unit is a power supply unit wherein the controller controls a value of output current of the power supply by controlling a duty ratio by switching the second switch; wherein the controller detects the current value of the reactor acquired by the current sensor, at a frequency of at least n (n is an integer of 2 or more) times in a cycle of the switching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko Kaneko, Masayuki Ito, Takahiro Umehara
  • Patent number: 11831055
    Abstract: To provide a fuel cell system configured to appropriately measure the AC impedance of a fuel cell. A fuel cell system wherein the controller controls ON and OFF of the switches of n phases; wherein the controller operates the switches of the n phases at different phases, and the controller operates the switches of the n phases at the same duty ratio; wherein the controller operates the switches of the n phases at different duty ratios, when the controller determines that a specific condition is met; and wherein the controller measures the AC impedance of the fuel cell from the current waveform and voltage waveform of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Umehara, Nobuyuki Kitamura, Masayuki Ito, Tomohiko Kaneko
  • Patent number: 11791726
    Abstract: To provide a power conversion device configured to evenly pass current through phases and to achieve high power conversion efficiency in a wide current range. A power conversion device comprising conversion parts which are coupled in parallel to each other, which are capable of voltage conversion, and each of which includes a coil, wherein the power conversion device comprises M (M is a natural number of 2 or more) sets of conversion sets including the conversion parts of N phases (N is a natural number of 2 or more), and the coils of the conversion parts are capable of magnetic coupling to each other; wherein the power conversion device includes a controller configured to change a driving phase number X of the conversion parts according to a system requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masayuki Ito, Tomohiko Kaneko
  • Patent number: 11658557
    Abstract: A control device for a converter including a one-phase or multiple-phase converter circuit includes: a magnetic coupling determination unit configured to determine whether the converter circuit is a magnetically coupled circuit in which a reactor of the converter circuit is in a magnetically coupled state; and a control unit configured to change a control method for the converter according to a determination result of the magnetic coupling determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko Kaneko, Masayuki Ito
  • Publication number: 20230070203
    Abstract: A power supply unit includes a power supply and a converter. The converter performs operation selected from the group consisting of boosting and stepping down of an output voltage of the power supply; and includes a reactor in which n-phase coils are magnetically coupled to each other, n-phase switches, and a control unit. The control unit controls duty cycles of the n-phase switches; monitors a current value flowing through the n-phase coils; and performs phase switching control when the control unit determines that an operation condition described below is satisfied, the phase switching control being control in which the control unit performs phase switching from in phase to out of phase in the case where the n-phase switches are being driven in phase and performs phase switching from out of phase to in phase in the case where the n-phase switches are being driven out of phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko KANEKO, Nobuyuki KITAMURA, Takahiro UMEHARA, Masayuki ITO
  • Patent number: 11588388
    Abstract: A control device of a power supply system includes a processor configured to set a sampling period, at which measurement values of a reactor current flowing through a reactor of a DC-DC converter and measured by an ammeter are sampled, so as to minimize a sum of differences between the length of a first period in a switching cycle of a switching element of the DC-DC converter and an integer multiple of the sampling period and between the length of a second period in the switching cycle and an integer multiple of the sampling period, the reactor current increasing during the first period and decreasing during the second period; sample, at intervals of the sampling period, measurement values of the reactor current measured by the ammeter; and average measurement values sampled in the switching cycle, thereby measuring an average of the reactor current in the switching cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daiki Yaginuma, Masato Nonaka, Keidai Minami, Masaharu Kimura, Tomohiko Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20220399556
    Abstract: To provide a fuel cell system configured to appropriately measure the AC impedance of a fuel cell. A fuel cell system wherein a controller controls ON and OFF of switches of n phases; wherein the controller monitors current values of coils; the controller operates the switches of the n phases at different phases; wherein the controller operates duty ratios of the switches of the n phases with periodically increasing and decreasing them, and the controller measures an AC impedance of a fuel cell from a current waveform of and a voltage waveform of the fuel cell; and wherein, when the controller determines that a predetermined condition 1 is met, the controller makes amplitudes which increase and decrease the duty ratios large compared to other operating conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Inventors: Masayuki ITO, Nobuyuki KITAMURA, Takahiro UMEHARA, Tomohiko KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220348343
    Abstract: Provided is a flight vehicle that makes it possible to improve the safety of its passengers. The flight vehicle, which includes a fuel cell system, includes a fuselage part including a cabin. The fuel cell system includes at least one fuel gas tank, and a lower end of the fuel gas tank stands below a lower end of the fuselage part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventor: Tomohiko KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220352532
    Abstract: To provide a fuel cell system capable of discharging a fuel gas in an emergency while suppressing complication and an increase in cost of the system. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a fuel gas tank, a fuel gas supply channel, a fuel gas supply unit, a main stop valve that controls opening and closing of the fuel gas tank, a fuel gas discharge channel, an exhaust drain valve that controls discharge of the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell to an outside of the system, and a control unit. The control unit controls the exhaust drain valve, the fuel gas supply unit, and the main stop valve to open so as to discharge the fuel gas from the fuel gas tank when receiving an emission command of the fuel gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventor: Tomohiko KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220348340
    Abstract: To provide a flying object capable of suppressing ignition of a secondary battery due to overcharging. A flying object includes a fuel cell, a secondary battery, a motor, an air resistance increasing device capable of increasing the air resistance, and a control unit. The motor drives a propulsion propeller. The fuel cell, the secondary battery, and the motor are electrically connected. The motor is driven by obtaining power from at least one of the fuel cell and the secondary battery. When the fuel cell generates an amount of power exceeding a power consumption amount, the control unit increases an amount of power supplied to the motor from the fuel cell while increasing the air resistance by operating the air resistance increasing device, and performs a power consumption control to maintain a flight state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventor: Tomohiko KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220344680
    Abstract: Provided is a flight vehicle that makes it possible to prevent electricity generation by a fuel cell from being stopped in flight even when a mistaken operation is conducted. The flight vehicle including a fuel cell and a propeller, the propeller to be driven by electric power generated by the fuel cell, the flight vehicle including: a stop device giving an instruction to stop the generation of electricity by the fuel cell; a control unit processing stopping of the generation of electricity by the fuel cell; a leg part grounding when the flight vehicle lands, to support a load of the flight vehicle; and a sensor detecting the load applied to the leg part, wherein the control unit permits the stopping of the generation of electricity based on signals from the stop device and the sensor only if a predetermined amount of the load is applied to the leg part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventor: Tomohiko KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220340291
    Abstract: Provided is a flight vehicle which makes it possible to more reliably retain the sealability of a sealing member of a valve provided on a hydrogen tank even in continuous supply of hydrogen or a low-temperature environment. The flight vehicle having a fuel cell, and a hydrogen tank in which hydrogen for generation of electricity by the fuel cell is stored includes: a valve including a sealing member, the valve being disposed on the hydrogen tank, via the valve hydrogen being taken out from a body of the tank; and a warming unit in which fluid conducts part of waste heat from any portion of the flight vehicle to the sealing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventor: Tomohiko KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220344681
    Abstract: Provided is a flight vehicle having a weight reduced by reducing the number of driving devices. The flight vehicle including a fuel cell, and a motor to drive a propeller, the flight vehicle includes: a pump by which cooling water for cooling the fuel cell is circulated, the pump being driven by the motor to drive a propeller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventor: Tomohiko KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220340045
    Abstract: To provide an air vehicle configured to stabilize the power output of a fuel cell by securing the generated water discharge property of the fuel cell. An air vehicle, wherein the air vehicle comprises two or more fuel cells; wherein each fuel cell comprises an anode outlet manifold; and wherein each fuel cell is disposed in the air vehicle so that water discharge directions of the anode outlet manifolds are different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventors: Hiroki OKABE, Tomohiko KANEKO, Tomohiro SHINAGAWA, Yoshihiro SHINOZAKI
  • Patent number: 11463038
    Abstract: A control device for a multi-phase converter including converter circuits of m phases of which each includes a switching element includes: a driven phase number control unit configured to control the multi-phase converter in n-phase driving or m-phase driving; a storage unit configured to store first and second patterns; a selection unit configured to select the first or second pattern while the multi-phase converter is stopped, an on/off control unit configured to perform on/off control on the switching elements of the number of driven phases; and a prediction unit configured to predict a predicted correlation value which is correlated with a time ratio which is a ratio of a time in which control in the m-phase driving is predicted to be performed to a time in which control in the n-phase driving is predicted to be performed in a predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Itou, Tomohiko Kaneko
  • Patent number: 11450869
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a first fuel cell stack having a discharge manifold, a second fuel cell stack having a discharge manifold, a first auxiliary machine used for power generation of the first fuel cell stack, a second auxiliary machine used for power generation of the second fuel cell stack, and a controller configured to control operation of the first auxiliary machine and the second auxiliary machine. The controller is configured to control operation of the first auxiliary machine and the second auxiliary machine, such that one of the first fuel cell stack and the second fuel cell stack, of which a discharge direction of reaction gas discharged from the discharge manifold forms a smaller angle with a vertical downward direction, starts generating power earlier than the other fuel cell stack, after power generation of the first fuel cell stack and the second fuel cell stack is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Ito, Hideyuki Kumei, Tomohiko Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20220293981
    Abstract: To provide a fuel cell system configured to appropriately measure the AC impedance of a fuel cell. A fuel cell system wherein the controller controls ON and OFF of the switches of n phases; wherein the controller operates the switches of the n phases at different phases, and the controller operates the switches of the n phases at the same duty ratio; wherein the controller operates the switches of the n phases at different duty ratios, when the controller determines that a specific condition is met; and wherein the controller measures the AC impedance of the fuel cell from the current waveform and voltage waveform of the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Takahiro UMEHARA, Nobuyuki KITAMURA, Masayuki ITO, Tomohiko KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220293982
    Abstract: To provide a fuel cell system configured to appropriately measure the AC impedance of a fuel cell. A fuel cell system wherein the controller controls ON and OFF of the switches of n phases; wherein the controller operates the switches of the n phases at different phases, and the controller operates the switches of the n phases at the same duty ratio; wherein the controller operates the switches of the n phases at the same phase, when the controller determines that a specific condition is met; and wherein the controller measures the AC impedance of the fuel cell from the current waveform and voltage waveform of the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Nobuyuki KITAMURA, Masayuki ITO, Tomohiko KANEKO, Takahiro UMEHARA
  • Patent number: 11444536
    Abstract: A controller of a power supply system includes a memory configured to store a self-inductance and a mutual inductance of two reactors included in a boost converter; and a processor configured to determine a present operating state of the boost converter, based on a ratio of an input voltage into the boost converter to an output voltage therefrom, a duty ratio applied to switching elements of the boost converter, the self-inductance, and the mutual inductance, the present operating state being one of operating states among which the waveform of a reactor current differs; and measure an average of the reactor current in a predetermined switching period of the switching elements, based on the input voltage, the output voltage, and the duty ratio, in accordance with the waveform of the reactor current corresponding to the present operating state of the boost converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiko Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20220224232
    Abstract: To provide a power supply unit configured to determine the boundary between the operation modes (continuous mode and discontinuous mode) of a converter with high accuracy. The power supply unit is a power supply unit wherein the controller controls a value of output current of the power supply by controlling a duty ratio by switching the second switch; wherein the controller detects the current value of the reactor acquired by the current sensor, at a frequency of at least n (n is an integer of 2 or more) times in a cycle of the switching.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko KANEKO, Masayuki ITO, Takahiro UMEHARA