Patents by Inventor Yo Masuda

Yo Masuda 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: 20240022100
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a secondary battery, a heater configured to be able to raise a temperature of the secondary battery, and a charging control unit configured to be connectable to an external power source. The charging control unit is configured to be able to output electric power supplied from the external power source to the secondary battery and the heater when connected to the external power source. The charging control unit is configured to be able to request the external power source for a requested power amount, and to be able to receive a supply of a supplied power amount in accordance with the requested power amount from the external power source. The charging control unit requests the external power source for the requested power amount including a first power amount required for charging the secondary battery and a second power amount required for heating by the heater.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ippei TAKESUE, Yo MASUDA, Kazuya FUKE
  • Patent number: 11565569
    Abstract: A heater apparatus includes a base member, a cover member supported by the base member, a cloth member provided between the base member and the cover member to hold a heater wire, and a heater temperature sensor brought into contact with the cloth member, covered on a base member side facing the base member and a cover member side facing the cover member with the cloth member, and configured to detect a temperature of the heater wire. The cover member has a cover recessed portion recessed towards the base member in an overlapping region where the cloth member on the base member side and the cloth member on the cover member side of the heater temperature sensor overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yo Masuda, Ryoma Okazumi, Isao Nakagawa, Takahiro Akaba, Takuya Takashima, Ringo Shimada, Shogo Yoshida, Hiroto Asai
  • Patent number: 11257644
    Abstract: A switch system includes a system main relay, a temperature measuring unit, and a controller. The system main relay is configured to electrically connect a battery and an onboard device to each other by turning on a contact point, and to electrically disconnect the battery and the onboard device by turning off the contact point. The temperature measuring unit is configured to measure temperature of the contact point of the system main relay. The controller is configured to cause the system main relay to repeatedly turn on and off the contact point at a predetermined timing, (i) when the temperature of the contact point of the system main relay is a predetermined temperature or more or (ii) when an amount of rise in the temperature of the contact point is a predetermined amount or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yo Masuda
  • Patent number: 10940768
    Abstract: A main relay protection device includes a motor generator, a rechargeable driving battery, an externally-coupled charger, a main relay, a charging bus bar, a charging relay, a main relay temperature sensor, and a controller. The motor generator drives a vehicle. The battery supplies power to the motor generator. The charger charges the battery. The main bus bar is disposed between the battery and the motor generator. The main relay is disposed in the main bus bar. The charging bus bar is disposed between the main bus bar and the charger. The charging relay is disposed in the charging bus bar. The sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the main relay. The controller performs ON-control on the charging relay in a state where the main relay is turned on, if the detected temperature of the main relay is higher than or equal to a preset heat radiation starting threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroto Asai, Yo Masuda, Takanobu Nishikori, Kohei Takei
  • Patent number: 10773569
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus for vehicle includes a radiator, a coolant pump, a cooling fan, first and second mode controllers, and an abnormality diagnosing controller. The radiator cools a coolant that circulates through a circulation flow channel of a cooling system. The coolant pump causes the coolant to circulate through the circulation flow channel. The cooling fan faces the radiator. The first mode controller initiates a first operation mode process upon diagnosing an abnormality of the cooling system. The first operation mode process stops the coolant pump and drives the cooling fan. The second mode controller initiates a second operation mode process after completion of the first operation mode process. The second operation mode process stops the cooling fan and drives the coolant pump. The abnormality diagnosing controller diagnoses, based on a temperature of the radiator, the abnormality of the cooling system after the initiation of the second operation mode process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yo Masuda, Takuya Takashima
  • Publication number: 20200258706
    Abstract: A switch system includes a system main relay, a temperature measuring unit, and a controller. The system main relay is configured to electrically connect a battery and an onboard device to each other by turning on a contact point, and to electrically disconnect the battery and the onboard device by turning off the contact point. The temperature measuring unit is configured to measure temperature of the contact point of the system main relay. The controller is configured to cause the system main relay to repeatedly turn on and off the contact point at a predetermined timing, (i) when the temperature of the contact point of the system main relay is a predetermined temperature or more or (ii) when an amount of rise in the temperature of the contact point is a predetermined amount or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventor: Yo Masuda
  • Patent number: 10694583
    Abstract: An external heater operation determination system includes, in a vehicle: a first device to be heated by an attached external heater; a second device, separate from the first device, to be cooled by a refrigerant; a circulation device configured to circulate the refrigerant through a circuit; and a temperature detection device that is configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant and disposed such that if the refrigerant is not circulating through the circuit, the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the temperature detection device in the circuit does not rise even if the external heater is operating, whereas if the refrigerant is circulating through the circuit, the detected temperature of the refrigerant changes. The external heater operation determination system includes a determination device able to determine that the external heater is not operating on a basis of a change in the temperature after the circulation of the refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoo Sarukawa, Masami Yamamoto, Ringo Shimada, Hiroto Asai, Yo Masuda
  • Publication number: 20200094701
    Abstract: A main relay protection device includes a motor generator, a rechargeable driving battery, an externally-coupled charger, a main relay, a charging bus bar, a charging relay, a main relay temperature sensor, and a controller. The motor generator drives a vehicle. The battery supplies power to the motor generator. The charger charges the battery. The main bus bar is disposed between the battery and the motor generator. The main relay is disposed in the main bus bar. The charging bus bar is disposed between the main bus bar and the charger. The charging relay is disposed in the charging bus bar. The sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the main relay. The controller performs ON-control on the charging relay in a state where the main relay is turned on, if the detected temperature of the main relay is higher than or equal to a preset heat radiation starting threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: Hiroto Asai, Yo Masuda, Takanobu Nishikori, Kohei Takei
  • Publication number: 20190315187
    Abstract: A heater apparatus includes a base member, a cover member supported by the base member, a cloth member provided between the base member and the cover member to hold a heater wire, and a heater temperature sensor brought into contact with the cloth member, covered on a base member side facing the base member and a cover member side facing the cover member with the cloth member, and configured to detect a temperature of the heater wire. The cover member has a cover recessed portion recessed towards the base member in an overlapping region where the cloth member on the base member side and the cloth member on the cover member side of the heater temperature sensor overlap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2019
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventors: Yo MASUDA, Ryoma OKAZUMI, Isao NAKAGAWA, Takahiro AKABA, Takuya TAKASHIMA, Ringo SHIMADA, Shogo YOSHIDA, Hiroto ASAI
  • Patent number: 10443481
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus for vehicle includes a cooling system, a coolant pump, and a diagnostic controller. The cooling system includes a cooling circuit in which a coolant circulates. The coolant pump causes the coolant to circulate in the cooling circuit. The diagnostic controller diagnoses an abnormality of the cooling system on a basis of a coolant temperature. The diagnostic controller performs a first mode process that increases the coolant temperature by stopping the coolant pump, and a second mode process that causes the coolant temperature to fluctuate periodically by driving the coolant pump. Upon the second mode process, the diagnostic controller diagnoses that the cooling system is normal on a condition that a cycle of the fluctuation of the coolant temperature is shorter than a reference time, and diagnoses that the cooling system is abnormal on a condition that the cycle of the fluctuation is longer than the reference time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shogo Yoshida, Takuya Takashima, Yo Masuda
  • Publication number: 20190191489
    Abstract: An external heater operation determination system includes, in a vehicle: a first device to be heated by an attached external heater; a second device, separate from the first device, to be cooled by a refrigerant; a circulation device configured to circulate the refrigerant through a circuit; and a temperature detection device that is configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant and disposed such that if the refrigerant is not circulating through the circuit, the temperature of the refrigerant detected by the temperature detection device in the circuit does not rise even if the external heater is operating, whereas if the refrigerant is circulating through the circuit, the detected temperature of the refrigerant changes. The external heater operation determination system includes a determination device able to determine that the external heater is not operating on a basis of a change in the temperature after the circulation of the refrigerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Tomoo SARUKAWA, Masami YAMAMOTO, Ringo SHIMADA, Hiroto ASAI, Yo MASUDA
  • Publication number: 20180128155
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus for vehicle includes a cooling system, a coolant pump, and a diagnostic controller. The cooling system includes a cooling circuit in which a coolant circulates. The coolant pump causes the coolant to circulate in the cooling circuit. The diagnostic controller diagnoses an abnormality of the cooling system on a basis of a coolant temperature. The diagnostic controller performs a first mode process that increases the coolant temperature by stopping the coolant pump, and a second mode process that causes the coolant temperature to fluctuate periodically by driving the coolant pump. Upon the second mode process, the diagnostic controller diagnoses that the cooling system is normal on a condition that a cycle of the fluctuation of the coolant temperature is shorter than a reference time, and diagnoses that the cooling system is abnormal on a condition that the cycle of the fluctuation is longer than the reference time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Applicant: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shogo YOSHIDA, Takuya TAKASHIMA, Yo MASUDA
  • Publication number: 20180072135
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus for vehicle includes a radiator, a coolant pump, a cooling fan, first and second mode controllers, and an abnormality diagnosing controller. The radiator cools a coolant that circulates through a circulation flow channel of a cooling system. The coolant pump causes the coolant to circulate through the circulation flow channel. The cooling fan faces the radiator. The first mode controller initiates a first operation mode process upon diagnosing an abnormality of the cooling system. The first operation mode process stops the coolant pump and drives the cooling fan. The second mode controller initiates a second operation mode process after completion of the first operation mode process. The second operation mode process stops the cooling fan and drives the coolant pump. The abnormality diagnosing controller diagnoses, based on a temperature of the radiator, the abnormality of the cooling system after the initiation of the second operation mode process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Applicant: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yo MASUDA, Takuya TAKASHIMA
  • Patent number: 9886802
    Abstract: A vehicle power supply device including a power storage device includes: an inlet that is coupled to an external power supply via a charging cable when the power storage device is charged using the external power supply; an outlet that is coupled to an external device when power is supplied from the power storage device to the external device; a first power converter that is formed between the inlet and the power storage device and converts alternating current (AC) power into direct current (DC) power; a second power converter that is formed between the outlet and the power storage device and converts DC power into AC power; and a malfunction diagnosis unit that diagnoses malfunction of a power supply path in a state in which the inlet and the outlet are coupled to each other using the charging cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kentaro Ishii, Yo Masuda
  • Publication number: 20170092023
    Abstract: A vehicle power supply device including a power storage device includes: an inlet that is coupled to an external power supply via a charging cable when the power storage device is charged using the external power supply; an outlet that is coupled to an external device when power is supplied from the power storage device to the external device; a first power converter that is formed between the inlet and the power storage device and converts alternating current (AC) power into direct current (DC) power; a second power converter that is formed between the outlet and the power storage device and converts DC power into AC power; and, a malfunction diagnosis unit that diagnoses malfunction of a power supply path in a state in which the inlet and the outlet are coupled to each other using the charging cable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventors: Kentaro ISHII, Yo Masuda