Patents by Inventor Tomohiro Nakano

Tomohiro Nakano 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: 9631593
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine includes an in-cylinder injector. The control device includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to: control energizing time for the in-cylinder injector when a partial lift injection is performed such that the partial lift injection becomes maximum partial lift injection with a longest energizing time in the partial lift injection; and control the number of energizations for performing the maximum partial lift injection during a single injection stroke such that a total of injection amounts of the maximum partial lift injection by the number of the energizations is equal to or less than a required injection amount as a target amount for the injection amount of a single injection stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuta Nakajima, Tomohiro Nakano, Eiji Murase
  • Patent number: 9587577
    Abstract: When injecting fuel from a direct injector and a port injector such that a requested fuel injection amount for an internal combustion engine is reached, the direct injector is driven in the following manner. That is, target fuel injection amounts are set on the basis of the engine operating state in order from the fuel injection with the highest priority among fuel injection in a compression stroke, fuel injection in the late stage of an intake stroke, and fuel injection in the early stage of the intake stroke in the direct injector, and the abovementioned setting continues until the total value of the target fuel injection amounts reaches the requested fuel injection amount. Moreover, the direct injector is driven in such a manner that the target fuel injection amounts for each of the abovementioned fuel injections set in this manner are obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro Nakano
  • Publication number: 20160363078
    Abstract: An abnormality flag is set when a first abnormality determination condition is established in an abnormality diagnosis of a fuel pressure sensor and it is determined that an abnormality occurs. In a case where the abnormality flag is kept cleared, when a fuel pressure detection value of the fuel pressure sensor is kept fixed for a prescribed time T2 or more and a second abnormality determination condition is established, a partial lift injection is prohibited, such that an injection control of a fuel injection valve is performed so as to perform a fuel injection without performing the partial lift injection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro NAKANO
  • Publication number: 20160348604
    Abstract: During a catalyst rapid warm-up at a time of a cold start of an engine, a fuel is injected by a required injection quantity through a multi-stage injection consisting of a fuel injection by a full lift injection during an intake stroke and a fuel injection by a partial lift injection during a compression stroke. In a case where a deterioration of a combustion state is confirmed, a correction for increasing the required injection quantity, which is to enrich an air-fuel ratio, is performed. At a time of the enriching quantity increase, a sum of injection quantities of the multi-stage injection is increased by the amount of the correction for increasing the required injection quantity without the injection quantity and an injection timing of the fuel injection by the partial lift injection being changed from a base time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiko HIGUCHI, Tomohiro NAKANO, Eiji MURASE
  • Patent number: 9490504
    Abstract: A lithium secondary battery 100 is configured such that an electrode body 20, in which a cathode and an anode are stacked via a separator impregnated with an electrolyte, is housed in a battery case 10 having a substantially cylindrical square shape and that an opening 12 of the case 10 is blocked by a lid 14. Further, the lid 14 is provided with a cathode terminal 38 and an anode terminal 48, and such terminals are respectively connected, inside the battery case 10, to an internal cathode collection terminal 37 and an internal anode collection terminal 47. A non-aqueous electrolyte used for the lithium secondary battery 100 contains, as a specific compound, for example, LiBOB, and an initial content of such specific compound relative to a capacitance of the anode is 0.04 to 0.5 [(mol/kg)/(mF/cm2)].
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Onizuka, Tomohiro Nakano
  • Publication number: 20160312735
    Abstract: A control device for an engine includes an ECU. The ECU is configured to: control an actual fuel pressure supplied to a fuel injector to a target fuel pressure; calculate a required energization time required for fuel injection equivalent in amount to a required injection quantity; set a energization time for each injection based on the required energization time; execute a switching processing for switching a manner in which the energization time is set when the required energization time is shorter than a predetermined time; set the required energization time as a set value of the energization time through the switching processing when a deviation between the actual fuel pressure and the target fuel pressure is equal to or larger than a predetermined value; and set the predetermined time as the set value of the energization time when the deviation is less than the predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro NAKANO
  • Publication number: 20160305392
    Abstract: An ECU outputs an ignition signal Si to an ignition apparatus through an ignition communication line. The ignition apparatus performs the closing operation of an ignition switching element, in a period during which the ignition signal Si is input. The ECU outputs a discharge waveform control signal Sc to a waveform control communication line, at a timing that is delayed by a predetermined delay time relative to an output timing of the ignition signal Si. In an input period of the discharge waveform control signal Sc after the stop of the input of the ignition signal Si, the ignition apparatus controls the electric current to flow through a primary coil, to a discharge current command value that is decided depending on the above delay time, by the opening-closing operation of a control switching element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi NAKAMURA, Tomohiro NAKANO
  • Publication number: 20160298587
    Abstract: A fuel supply device includes an injector, a fuel pressurization device and an ECU. The fuel pressurization device includes an electromagnetic valve. The fuel pressurization device is configured to pressurize a fuel in accordance with opening/closing of the electromagnetic valve and discharge the fuel toward the injector. The ECU is configured: to control the opening/closing of the electromagnetic valve to adjust the fuel amount discharged toward the injector; to execute an operation sound suppression control during a low-load operation of an engine by reducing an opening/closing frequency of the electromagnetic valve and increasing the fuel amount discharged for each opening/closing of the electromagnetic valve; not to execute the operation sound suppression control when a partial lift injection is in progress; and to execute the operation sound suppression control when the partial lift injection is not in progress.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro NAKANO
  • Patent number: 9447721
    Abstract: When injecting fuel from a direct injector and a port injector such that a requested fuel injection amount is obtained in an internal combustion engine, the direct injector is driven in the following manner. That is, after a target fuel injection amount for the fuel injection with the higher priority among fuel injection in the late stage of an intake stroke and fuel injection in the early stage of the intake stroke in the direct injector has been set on the basis of the engine operating condition, the target fuel injection amount for the fuel injection with the lower priority is set on the basis of the engine operating condition. Moreover, the direction injector is driven in such a manner that the target fuel injection amount for each of the abovementioned fuel injections set in this manner is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro Nakano
  • Publication number: 20160215721
    Abstract: A drive system for fuel injection valves includes a battery, a capacitor, a drive control unit and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to, when an energization start interval between a start of energization of a last one of the fuel injection valves and a start of energization of a current one of the fuel injection valves is longer than or equal to a peak reaching time of a last one of the fuel injection valves, extend an energization time of the current one of the fuel injection valves as the energization start interval reduces. The electronic control unit is configured to, when the energization start interval is shorter than the peak reaching time, reduce the energization time of the current one of the fuel injection valves is energized as the energization start interval reduces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro NAKANO, Eiji MURASE, Rihito KANEKO, Masanao IDOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20160190645
    Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery with which resistance increase is inhibited during high-temperature storage while good battery properties are retained. The production method of this invention comprises a step of obtaining a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a non-aqueous electrolyte; and a step of placing the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the non-aqueous electrolyte in a battery case. Herein, the non-aqueous electrolyte comprises a fluorine atom-containing supporting salt and a benzothiophene oxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi YAMASAKI, Tomoko NAGAO, Tomohiro NAKANO, Tatsuya HASHIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20160131074
    Abstract: A control device for a fuel injection valve includes a drive circuit that controls open/close operation of the fuel injection valve by passing an exciting current through a solenoid of the fuel injection valve and an ECU that reduces a peak current value as a fuel pressure in a delivery pipe at timing of a start of energization of the fuel injection valve decreases. The ECU reduces the peak current value as an amount of fuel discharged from a high-pressure fuel pump to the delivery pipe reduces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro NAKANO, Eiji MURASE, Rihito KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20160108847
    Abstract: An electronic control unit that calculates an injection standby period, which is a period from an energization start point of the solenoid to a point at which the fuel injection valve opens, and adjusts an energization period of the solenoid in accordance with the calculated injection standby period. The electronic control unit of the control apparatus for a fuel injection valve then measures a reference fall detection period, which is a period from the energization start point to a reference fall detection point, and sets the injection standby period to be longer as the reference fall detection period is longer. Here, the reference fall detection point is a point at which the excitation current detected by the current detection circuit falls below a reference current value, which is smaller than a peak current value, while the excitation current decreases after reaching the peak current value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro NAKANO, Eiji MURASE, Rihito KANEKO
  • Patent number: 9287590
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery (100) includes: an electrode body (150) including a positive electrode plate (155), a negative electrode plate (156), and a separator (157); and a non-aqueous electrolyte contained inside the electrode body (150). The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery (100) further includes a reservoir member (170) defining a reservoir space (S1, S2) located adjacent to an end face (150j, 150k) of the electrode body (150), the reservoir space being used to hold the non-aqueous electrolyte forced out of the electrode body (150) through the end face (150j, 150k) of the electrode body (150).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakano, Hideaki Fujita
  • Publication number: 20150377172
    Abstract: A fuel injection system for an engine, the fuel injection system includes injectors and an electronic control unit. The injectors include needle valves; and the ECU is configured to: (i) execute partial lift injection and full lift injection with the injectors, the partial lift injection being injection during which the needle valve does not reach a fully-open state and the full lift injection being injection during which the needle valve reaches the fully-open state; (ii) operate the engine in a partial lift injection region where the injection of a required injection amount of a fuel is shared by the partial lift injection and the full lift injection; and (iii) perform the amount of correction of the required injection amount with respect to the injection amount shared by the full lift injection when the required injection amount is corrected while the engine is operated in the partial lift injection region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiko HIGUCHI, Tomohiro NAKANO, Rihito KANEKO, Eiji MURASE
  • Publication number: 20150369161
    Abstract: This fuel injection system includes a port injector, an in-cylinder injector, and a control device. The control device sets the number of executions of maximum partial lift injection per injection stroke based on the pressure of a fuel supplied to the in-cylinder injector and within a range of the number of injections in which an injection amount of the maximum partial lift injection per injection stroke becomes equal to or less than a target amount. This control device allows the in-cylinder injector to execute the number of executions of the maximum partial lift injection and allows the port injector to inject the fuel by the amount equal to the shortfall compared to the total injection amount only in the maximum partial lift injection by the in-cylinder injector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro NAKANO, Eiji Murase
  • Publication number: 20150369158
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine includes an in-cylinder injector. The control device includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to: control energizing time for the in-cylinder injector when a partial lift injection is performed such that the partial lift injection becomes maximum partial lift injection with a longest energizing time in the partial lift injection; and control the number of energizations for performing the maximum partial lift injection during a single injection stroke such that a total of injection amounts of the maximum partial lift injection by the number of the energizations is equal to or less than a required injection amount as a target amount for the injection amount of a single injection stroke.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuta NAKAJIMA, Tomohiro NAKANO, Eiji MURASE
  • Publication number: 20150147630
    Abstract: Provided is a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which the following are housed in a battery case: a nonaqueous electrolyte, a boron atom-containing oxalato complex compound, and an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode having a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode having a negative electrode active material are disposed facing each other. Here, a coat containing boron atoms originating from the oxalato complex compound is formed on the surface of the negative electrode active material, and the amount BM (?g/cm2) of the boron atom as measured based on inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopic analysis and the intensity BA for a tricoordinate boron atom as measured based on x-ray absorption fine structure analysis satisfy 0.5?BA/BM?1.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakano, Satoshi Goto, Tomohide Sumi, Hideki Sano
  • Publication number: 20150079478
    Abstract: In an electrode body for use in non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, a first end of a separator is located more interiorly than one positive electrode end of a positive electrode plate in a width direction, located more exteriorly than one end of a coated positive electrode portion of the positive electrode plate, and located more exteriorly than one end of a coated negative electrode portion of a negative electrode plate. The first end of the separator is thicker than an intermediate portion. A second end of the separator is located more interiorly than an other negative electrode end of the negative electrode plate in the width direction, located more exteriorly than the other end of the coated positive electrode portion of the positive electrode plate, and located more exteriorly than an other end of the coated negative electrode portion of the negative electrode plate. The second end of the separator is thicker than the intermediate portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakano, Hideaki Fujita
  • Patent number: 8936236
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a coil spring for an automobile suspension includes forming a material into a coil shape; performing a heat treatment step on the material; performing a warm shot peening step on the material, and performing a hot setting step on the material. By performing the warm shot peening step prior to the hot setting step, a stronger compressive residual stress is imparted in a direction along which a large tensile stress acts during actual use of the coil spring, thereby improving sag resistance and durability of the coil spring. A coil spring is also manufactured according to this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Chuo Hatsujo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakano, Takayuki Sakakibara, Takanori Kuno, Shingo Mimura, Masami Wakita