Patents by Inventor Toshiaki Kusakari

Toshiaki Kusakari 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: 20240109483
    Abstract: A lighting device includes a first light source portion, a light guide that includes a light guide body with an elongated shape, guides light incident from the first light source portion in a longitudinal direction of the elongated shape, and emits a first light including the guided light to illuminate an illuminated object, and a second light source portion that emits a second light to illuminate the illuminated object. The second light source portion is provided independently of the first light source portion and the light guide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Toshiaki MORI, Yoichi MATSUOKA, Koichiro ENDO, Akinori USHIJIMA, Isamu MASAKAWA, Jota KUSAKARI
  • Publication number: 20230387444
    Abstract: In a plan view of the fuel cell unit viewed from an auxiliary device side, an area surrounded by an outer edge of a first auxiliary device is referred to as an area A, an area surrounded by an outer edge of a fuel cell stack is referred to as an area B 1, an area surrounded by an outer edge of a power converter is referred to as an area B2, and an area obtained by adding the area B1 and the area B2 together is referred to as an area B3. The area A overlaps at least part of the area B1 and at least part of the area B2. An entirety of the area A is included inside the area B3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventors: Yoshihiro SHINOZAKI, Toshiaki KUSAKARI, Masaaki MATSUSUE
  • Publication number: 20220348182
    Abstract: A structure equipped with a fuel cell system, wherein the structure comprises: a skirt configured to form an accumulation space between a bottom of the structure and the ground, an air supplier configured to supply off-gas, which is discharged from the fuel cell system, to at least one space selected from the group consisting of the accumulation space and an internal space of the skirt, and a pressure discharger configured to discharge pressure accumulated in the accumulation space to outside of the skirt from a lower end of the skirt, and wherein lift is imparted to the structure by supplying a predetermined amount of the off-gas from the air supplier to at least one space selected from the group consisting of the accumulation space and the internal space of the skirt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kusakari, Hideaki Tanaka, Takahiro Umehara, Kenjo Miyashita, Shinya Yamaguchi, Yoshihiro Tamura, Kaisei Hino, Riyo Hiraiso
  • Patent number: 11417899
    Abstract: A fuel cell system to be mounted on a vehicle includes a fuel cell configured to generate electric power through chemical reaction of reactive gases, a gas-liquid separator configured to separate water from an off-gas discharged from the fuel cell and store the separated water, a discharge valve configured to drain the water flowing out through an opening at a bottom of the gas-liquid separator, an attitude control device configured to control an attitude of the gas-liquid separator relative to the vehicle, and an instruction device configured to send an instruction for a control target of the attitude of the gas-liquid separator to the attitude control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kusakari, Masaaki Matsusue
  • Publication number: 20210175525
    Abstract: A fuel cell system to be mounted on a vehicle includes a fuel cell configured to generate electric power through chemical reaction of reactive gases, a gas-liquid separator configured to separate water from an off-gas discharged from the fuel cell and store the separated water, a discharge valve configured to drain the water flowing out through an opening at a bottom of the gas-liquid separator, an attitude control device configured to control an attitude of the gas-liquid separator relative to the vehicle, and an instruction device configured to send an instruction for a control target of the attitude of the gas-liquid separator to the attitude control device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiaki KUSAKARI, Masaaki MATSUSUE
  • Patent number: 10957925
    Abstract: First, a reaction gas is supplied to a fuel cell stack including a laminate of solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells and power generation is performed so that a temperature of the fuel cell stack reaches 65° C. or higher (heating power generation step). Next, the reaction gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack and the power generation is performed under a condition in which relative humidity is 100% or more (cleaning power generation step). Cooling water of room temperature may be supplied to the fuel cell stack from the outside before the cleaning power generation step is performed after the heating power generation step is completed, or after the cleaning power generation step is completed (quenching step).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hajime Murata, Kensaku Kodama, Manabu Kato, Toshiaki Kusakari
  • Publication number: 20170338499
    Abstract: First, a reaction gas is supplied to a fuel cell stack including a laminate of solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells and power generation is performed so that a temperature of the fuel cell stack reaches 65° C. or higher (heating power generation step). Next, the reaction gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack and the power generation is performed under a condition in which relative humidity is 100% or more (cleaning power generation step). Cooling water of room temperature may be supplied to the fuel cell stack from the outside before the cleaning power generation step is performed after the heating power generation step is completed, or after the cleaning power generation step is completed (quenching step).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hajime MURATA, Kensaku KODAMA, Manabu KATO, Toshiaki KUSAKARI
  • Patent number: 8542026
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an impedance measuring instrument, and a control device. The control device is connected to the impedance measuring instrument. The impedance measuring instrument measures the impedance of the fuel cell according to the AC impedance method. The control device stores in advance a reference value corresponding to a reference hydrogen concentration. The control device compares the real part Z? of impedance acquired via the impedance measuring instrument against the reference value. When Z? is equal to or greater than the reference value, the control device estimates the hydrogen concentration of the fuel cell to be equal to or less than the reference hydrogen concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kotaro Ikeda, Toshiaki Kusakari, Hideaki Kume, Yoshihiro Ikogi, Noriyuki Kobayashi, Hikaru Hasegawa
  • Publication number: 20120038373
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an impedance measuring instrument, and a control device. The control device is connected to the impedance measuring instrument. The impedance measuring instrument measures the impedance of the fuel cell according to the AC impedance method. The control device stores in advance a reference value corresponding to a reference hydrogen concentration. The control device compares the real part Z? of impedance acquired via the impedance measuring instrument against the reference value. When Z? is equal to or greater than the reference value, the control device estimates the hydrogen concentration of the fuel cell to be equal to or less than the reference hydrogen concentration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2009
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kotaro Ikeda, Toshiaki Kusakari, Hideaki Kume, Yoshihiro Ikogi, Noriyuki Kobayashi, Hikaru Hasegawa