Patents by Inventor Tsutomu Kawamura

Tsutomu Kawamura 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: 20220376522
    Abstract: This regional energy management device calculates the power interchange between consumers, on the basis of: storage battery level distribution indicating the relationship between storage battery levels and the position of storage batteries in a region at each time; excess or shortages of power for each consumer at each time, if a consumer has implemented a power supply equipment operation plan for fulfilling a consumer target index for that consumer; and an overall regional target index.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu KAWAMURA, Ryousuke NAKAMURA, Tetsushi ONO, Masatoshi KUMAGAI
  • Patent number: 11456619
    Abstract: Included are an energy management apparatus that manages at least one or more management target that consumes energy; and a user terminal that transmits and receives information to and from the energy management apparatus via a network. The energy management apparatus includes an energy management controller that prepares a question regarding a behavior of a user who uses the at least one or more management target, and transmits it to the user terminal. The user terminal includes a user terminal controller that transmits a question answer regarding the received question to the energy management controller when receiving the question transmitted from the energy management controller. The energy management controller predicts an energy consumption amount of the at least one or more management target based on the received question answer when receiving the question answer transmitted from the user terminal controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Kawamura, Masatoshi Kumagai, Hirotaka Takahashi, Ryousuke Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11143426
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to minimize impact on the comfort of people in a room and to achieve energy conservation in heat-source functions in an energy network comprising a plurality of heat-source functions that generate cold water and/or warm water, and a plurality of air-conditioning functions that obtain an air-conditioning effect by consuming the cold water and/or warm water generated by the heat-source functions. Disclosed is an energy network comprising a plurality of heat-source functions that generate thermal energy, and a plurality of air-conditioning functions that obtain an air-conditioning effect by consuming the thermal energy generated by the heat-source functions, wherein the energy network comprises: a first control function that selectively starts or stops the heat-source functions; and a second control function that controls the output of the air-conditioning functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Takahashi, Tsutomu Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20210028647
    Abstract: Included are an energy management apparatus that manages at least one or more management target that consumes energy; and a user terminal that transmits and receives information to and from the energy management apparatus via a network. The energy management apparatus includes an energy management controller that prepares a question regarding a behavior of a user who uses the at least one or more management target, and transmits it to the user terminal. The user terminal includes a user terminal controller that transmits a question answer regarding the received question to the energy management controller when receiving the question transmitted from the energy management controller. The energy management controller predicts an energy consumption amount of the at least one or more management target based on the received question answer when receiving the question answer transmitted from the user terminal controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Tsutomu KAWAMURA, Masatoshi KUMAGAI, Hirotaka TAKAHASHI, Ryousuke NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20200387847
    Abstract: An operation plan generation device in an energy system that supplies energy to a consumer is provided with: a data generation unit that generates, on the basis of a plurality of operation conditions for the energy system, a plurality of operation plans with respect to the respective operation conditions, and calculates KPIs corresponding to the respective operation plans; a machine learning unit that learns characteristics of the energy system on the basis of the operation plans and the KPIs; and an operation plan generation unit that generates an operation plan on the basis of the learned characteristics of the energy system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventors: Tsutomu KAWAMURA, Masatoshi KUMAGAI, Hirotaka TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 10808947
    Abstract: A heat source system managing device includes: a predicted heat demand upper limit calculating unit configured to calculate a predicted heat demand upper limit by adding a prediction error to a predicted heat demand value for a heat source system; an operation plan preparing unit configured to prepare an operation plan of the heat source system to supply heat of the predicted heat demand upper limit to a consuming facility; a surplus stored heat quantity calculating unit configured to repeatedly perform a process of calculating a surplus stored heat quantity by subtracting a heat quantity consumed by the consuming facility from the predicted heat demand upper limit; and an operation plan changing unit configured to sequentially change the operation plan by decreasing a future operation rate of a refrigerator to cancel the surplus stored heat quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Kawamura, Kaoru Kawabata, Ryousuke Nakamura, Hiroshige Kikuchi, Susumu Ikeda
  • Patent number: 10554065
    Abstract: A battery control apparatus includes a reduced electricity cost analysis unit that obtains a discharge electric power cost at a discharge time and a charge electric power cost at a charge time of a battery, based on a basic cost and a unit cost of an electricity bill, and obtains a reduced electricity cost in which the charge electric power cost is subtracted from the discharge electric power cost for every discharge depth of the battery; an introduction cost analysis unit that calculates an introduction cost of the battery for every discharge depth of the battery; and a charge and discharge depth optimization unit that obtains a difference of the reduced electricity cost and the introduction cost for every discharge depth of the battery, and determines a charge and discharge depth of the battery based on the difference. The discharge of the battery is performed at the determined charge and discharge depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Miyake, Yasushi Tomita, Tsutomu Kawamura, Hirotaka Takahashi, Kenichi Kuwabara, Daisuke Hisajima, Junichi Yamada
  • Publication number: 20180181153
    Abstract: Provided is an equipment operation plan generating device for generating an operation plan of a plurality of pieces of equipment for supplying energy from an energy supply network to a customer includes a group unit characteristic generating unit that divides the plurality of pieces of equipment into a plurality of groups, and generates group unit characteristic information indicating an energy consumption amount with respect to magnitude of output of a group unit from device unit characteristic information indicating an energy consumption amount with respect to magnitude of output of the equipment, a group unit plan generating unit that generates group unit operation plan information by regarding the plurality of pieces of equipment in the group as one equipment based on demand forecast information of the customer and the group unit characteristic information, and an equipment unit plan generating unit that generates the operation plan for each equipment based on the group unit operation plan information and
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Hirotaka TAKAHASHI, Tsutomu KAWAMURA, Tooru AKATSU
  • Publication number: 20170363315
    Abstract: An operation management apparatus includes: a refrigerant return temperature prediction unit that predicts a temperature Tr of a refrigerant returning from an air conditioner to a heat source system; a heat storage capacity estimation unit that estimates a heat storage capacity of the heat source system, based on the predicted refrigerant return temperature Tr; and an operation plan unit that creates a plan based on the estimated heat storage capacity. The heat source system includes: a storage tank that supplies the refrigerant to the air conditioner; a refrigerant generation unit that cools the refrigerant returning from the air conditioner via the storage tank, and supplies it to the storage tank; a refrigerant feed temperature detection unit that measures a temperature of the refrigerant from the refrigerant generation unit; and a refrigerant return temperature detection unit that measures a temperature of the refrigerant returning from the storage tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru KAWABATA, Tsutomu KAWAMURA, Ryousuke NAKAMURA, Hiroshige KIKUCHI, Susumu IKEDA
  • Publication number: 20170314789
    Abstract: A heat source system managing device includes: a predicted heat demand upper limit calculating unit configured to calculate a predicted heat demand upper limit by adding a prediction error to a predicted heat demand value for a heat source system; an operation plan preparing unit configured to prepare an operation plan of the heat source system to supply heat of the predicted heat demand upper limit to a consuming facility; a surplus stored heat quantity calculating unit configured to repeatedly perform a process of calculating a surplus stored heat quantity by subtracting a heat quantity consumed by the consuming facility from the predicted heat demand upper limit; and an operation plan changing unit configured to sequentially change the operation plan by decreasing a future operation rate of a refrigerator to cancel the surplus stored heat quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Tsutomu KAWAMURA, Kaoru KAWABATA, Ryousuke NAKAMURA, Hiroshige KIKUCHI, Susumu IKEDA
  • Publication number: 20170159959
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to minimize impact on the comfort of people in a room and to achieve energy conservation in heat-source functions in an energy network comprising a plurality of heat-source functions that generate cold water and/or warm water, and a plurality of air-conditioning functions that obtain an air-conditioning effect by consuming the cold water and/or warm water generated by the heat-source functions. Disclosed is an energy network comprising a plurality of heat-source functions that generate thermal energy, and a plurality of air-conditioning functions that obtain an air-conditioning effect by consuming the thermal energy generated by the heat-source functions, wherein the energy network comprises: a first control function that selectively starts or stops the heat-source functions; and a second control function that controls the output of the air-conditioning functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventors: Hirotaka TAKAHASHI, Tsutomu KAWAMURA
  • Publication number: 20170005483
    Abstract: A battery control apparatus includes a reduced electricity cost analysis unit that obtains a discharge electric power cost at a discharge time and a charge electric power cost at a charge time of a battery, based on a basic cost and a unit cost of an electricity bill, and obtains a reduced electricity cost in which the charge electric power cost is subtracted from the discharge electric power cost for every discharge depth of the battery; an introduction cost analysis unit that calculates an introduction cost of the battery for every discharge depth of the battery; and a charge and discharge depth optimization unit that obtains a difference of the reduced electricity cost and the introduction cost for every discharge depth of the battery, and determines a charge and discharge depth of the battery based. on the difference. The discharge of the battery is performed at the determined charge and discharge depth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: Noriyuki MIYAKE, Yasushi TOMITA, Tsutomu KAWAMURA, Hirotaka TAKAHASHI, Kenichi KUWABARA, Daisuke HISAJIMA, Junichi YAMADA
  • Patent number: 8551417
    Abstract: In order to provide, when a plurality of fluids each containing a different kind of substance are mixed and reacted, a reactor having a mixing channel capable of forming a multi-layered flow in a radial direction in the cylindrically-shaped mixing channel; improving mixing performance by synergizing swirling effects of mixture of turbulent flows and a swirling flow; and producing a reaction product with a high yield as well as high efficiency, a mixing channel 1 which mixes fluids 4 and 5 each containing the different kind of substance is cylindrically shaped, and inlet passages 2 and 3 which introduce the fluids 4 and 5, respectively, are plurally arranged in a manner offset from a central axis of the mixing channel 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomofumi Shiraishi, Tsutomu Kawamura, Takeyuki Kondo
  • Patent number: 8450531
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for commercially manufacturing acrolein in a large flow rate by making supercritical water and an acid interact with glycerin, wherein by efficiently mixing high-concentration glycerin and supercritical water with each other, the method is made capable of making the synthesis stably proceed with a high yield while the occlusion and abrasion of the pipes and devices due to the generation of by-products are being suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeyuki Kondo, Masayuki Kamikawa, Kenichiro Oka, Toshiaki Matsuo, Masashi Tanto, Yasunari Sase, Hiroyuki Ito, Tomofumi Shiraishi, Tsutomu Kawamura, Naruyasu Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20110171082
    Abstract: In order to provide, when a plurality of fluids each containing a different kind of substance are mixed and reacted, a reactor having a mixing channel capable of forming a multi-layered flow in a radial direction in the cylindrically-shaped mixing channel; improving mixing performance by synergizing swirling effects of mixture of turbulent flows and a swirling flow; and producing a reaction product with a high yield as well as high efficiency, a mixing channel 1 which mixes fluids 4 and 5 each containing the different kind of substance is cylindrically shaped, and inlet passages 2 and 3 which introduce the fluids 4 and 5, respectively, are plurally arranged in a manner offset from a central axis of the mixing channel 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2009
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: HITACHI PLANT TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomofumi Shiraishi, Tsutomu Kawamura, Takeyuki Kondo
  • Publication number: 20110160447
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for commercially manufacturing acrolein in a large flow rate by making supercritical water and an acid interact with glycerin, wherein by efficiently mixing high-concentration glycerin and supercritical water with each other, the method is made capable of making the synthesis stably proceed with a high yield while the occlusion and abrasion of the pipes and devices due to the generation of by-products are being suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Inventors: Takeyuki KONDO, Masayuki Kamikawa, Kenichiro Oka, Toshiaki Matsuo, Masashi Tanto, Yasunari Sase, Hiroyuki Ito, Tomofumi Shiraishi, Tsutomu Kawamura, Naruyasu Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7901639
    Abstract: There is provided a reaction apparatus which is capable of keeping the pressure inside the reactor and is applicable to various fields. This reaction apparatus comprises: a raw material tank (2) for storing a raw material; a high-pressure pump (3) communicated with the raw material tank (2) and designed to deliver the raw material therefrom; a reactor (1) which is disposed on the downstream side of the high-pressure pump (3) and designed to be supplied with the raw material in a compressed state; a heating bath (11) for heating the reactor (1) to promote a reaction; and a product tank (7) for receiving and recovering a product; wherein the reaction apparatus is further equipped with an inlet port which is interposed between the heating bath (11) and the product tank (7), and with an injection pump (6) for injecting an injecting liquid through the inlet port, whereby a pressure of product flowing into the product tank (7) is enabled to be reduced by making use of the flow rate of the injecting liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Sano, Mio Suzuki, Yukako Asano, Shigenori Togashi, Tsutomu Kawamura, Tomofumi Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 7599052
    Abstract: A defect marking device includes a flaw inspection device which has a plurality of light-receiving parts that identify reflected lights coming from an inspection plane of a metal strip under two or more of optical conditions different from each other; a signal processing section that judges the presence/absence of surface flaw on the inspection plane based on a combination of reflected light components identified under these optical conditions different from each other; and a marking device which applies marking that indicates information relating to the flaw on the surface of the metal strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: NKK Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Uesugi, Shoji Yoshikawa, Masaichi Inomata, Tsutomu Kawamura, Takahiko Oshige, Hiroyuki Sugiura, Akira Kazama, Tsuneo Suyama, Yasuo Kushida, Shuichi Harada, Hajime Tanaka, Osamu Uehara, Shuji Kaneto, Masahiro Iwabuchi, Kozo Harada, Shinichi Tomonaga, Shigemi Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20090086209
    Abstract: A defect marking device includes a flaw inspection device which has a plurality of light-receiving parts that identify reflected lights coming from an inspection plane of a metal strip under two or more of optical conditions different from each other; a signal processing section that judges the presence/absence of surface flaw on the inspection plane based on a combination of reflected light components identified under these optical conditions different from each other; and a marking device which applies marking that indicates information relating to the flaw on the surface of the metal strip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: NKK Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Uesugi, Shoji Yoshikawa, Masaichi Inomata, Tsutomu Kawamura, Takahiko Oshige, Hiroyuki Sugiura, Akira Kazama, Tsuneo Suyama, Yasuo Kushida, Shuichi Harada, Hajime Tanaka, Osamu Uehara, Shuji Kaneto, Masahiro Iwabuchi, Kozo Harada, Shinichi Tomonaga, Shigemi Fukuda
  • Patent number: 7423744
    Abstract: A defect marking device includes a flaw inspection device which has a plurality of light-receiving parts that identify reflected lights coming from an inspection plane of a metal strip under two or more of optical conditions different from each other; a signal processing section that judges the presence/absence of surface flaw on the inspection plane based on a combination of reflected light components identified under these optical conditions different from each other; and a marking device which applies marking that indicates information relating to the flaw on the surface of the metal strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: NKK Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Uesugi, Shoji Yoshikawa, Masaichi Inomata, Tsutomu Kawamura, Takahiko Oshige, Hiroyuki Sugiura, Akira Kazama, Tsuneo Suyama, Yasuo Kushida, Shuichi Harada, Hajime Tanaka, Osamu Uehara, Shuji Kaneto, Masahiro Iwabuchi, Kozo Harada, Shinichi Tomonaga, Shigemi Fukuda