Patents by Inventor Yohei Okamoto
Yohei Okamoto 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).
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Patent number: 10158136Abstract: A fuel cell system comprising: a power generation controller that controls a value subject to control, which is a value exhibiting a power generating state by a fuel cell and is a value that is affected by alternating current applied to the fuel cell, to approach a target value; a dead zone setter that sets a dead zone with the target value as a reference; and, a stopper that stops the control by the power generation controller when the value subject to control is contained in the dead zone.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2015Date of Patent: December 18, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yohei Okamoto, Yutaka Tano, Mitsuhiro Nada, Tomohiko Kaneko
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Patent number: 10135082Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell outputting a current; a supply unit supplying oxidant gas; a flow-amount measurement unit measuring a flow amount of the oxidant gas; and a controller that feed-back controls the supply unit such that a measured flow-amount value converges toward a target flow-amount value, wherein the controller determines an acceptable current value in accordance with the measured flow-amount value, restricts the current to the acceptable current value or less, controls the current in accordance with a requested current value of the fuel cell; and performs a changing-suppression processing, when a condition continues for a predetermined period, the condition including that a changing width of the requested current value is equal to or less than a first value and a difference between the requested current value and the acceptable current value is equal to or less than a second value.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2015Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiko Kaneko, Yoshiaki Naganuma, Yutaka Tano, Yohei Okamoto
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Patent number: 10014539Abstract: When an actual output value is less than an output command value, a current command value is increased. When the actual output value is equal to or greater than the output command value, whether the actual output value is within a range of a dead band is determined. When the actual output value is outside the range of the dead band, the current command value is decreased. When the actual output value is within the range of the dead band, the current command value is maintained.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2016Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yohei Okamoto, Hiroyuki Imanishi, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Takashi Yamada
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Patent number: 10014535Abstract: An object is to provide a technique of reducing a potential failure to start a fuel cell system due to a temperature decrease in a vehicle with the fuel cell system mounted thereon. There is provided a vehicle that comprises a fuel cell system, a battery, a motor, and a determiner configured to determine that the fuel cell system has a frozen part when temperature measured by a temperature measurement unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined first temperature and at least one of conditions (1) to (3) is satisfied: (1) no purging process is performed after a change from an on state of the vehicle to an off state of the vehicle; (2) ambient temperature decreases to or below a predetermined second temperature in the off state of the vehicle and no purging process is performed; and (3) an inclination of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined inclination at a time of change from the off state of the vehicle to the on state of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2016Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiko Kaneko, Yohei Okamoto, Kazuo Yamamoto, Tomohiro Ogawa, Masashi Toida, Mitsuhiro Nada, Tomio Yamanaka
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Publication number: 20180163007Abstract: A manufacturing method of a tow prepreg, comprising: an impregnation process of impregnating a reinforcement fiber with an anhydrous epoxy resin to obtain a tow prepreg; and a process of irradiating a specific surface of the tow prepreg with laser beam to cure the epoxy resin on the specific surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 20, 2017Publication date: June 14, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Yohei OKAMOTO
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Publication number: 20170237092Abstract: A fuel cell system has a battery, a gas supply portion, a temperature acquisition portion configured to acquire a presumed temperature that is presumed to reach during the operation stop of the fuel cell; and a scavenaing controlling portion. When it is determined that the presumed temperature is a predetermined temperature or more at the time of the operation stop of the fuel cell, the scavenging controlling portion performs the stop-time scavenging operation with a first scavenging ability; and when it is determined that the presumed temperature is less than the predetermined temperature, the scavenging controlling portion performs the stop-time scavenging operation with a second scavenging ability higher than the first scavenging ability.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 10, 2017Publication date: August 17, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiro OGAWA, Hiroyuki IMANISHI, Yohei OKAMOTO
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Patent number: 9692068Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a coolant path connected to the fuel cell and allowing a coolant that cools the fuel cell to flow therethrough; a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature of the coolant in the coolant path; a temperature correction unit configured to calculate a temperature correction value by correcting the temperature of the coolant detected by the temperature detection unit; and a lower limit voltage control unit configured to control a lower limit voltage of the fuel cell based on the temperature correction value, wherein the temperature correction unit calculates the temperature correction value based on a following equation: T filt = T filt ? _ ? old + T - T filt ? _ ? old ? where Tfilt represents the temperature correction value, Tfilt_old represents a last temperature correction value, T represents the temperature of the coolant, and ? represents a coefficient, and the coefficient when the temperature of the coolant is less than aType: GrantFiled: November 10, 2015Date of Patent: June 27, 2017Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yohei Okamoto, Yutaka Tano, Mitsuhiro Nada, Tomohiko Kaneko
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Publication number: 20160380287Abstract: An object is to provide a technique of reducing a potential failure to start a fuel cell system due to a temperature decrease in a vehicle with the fuel cell system mounted thereon. There is provided a vehicle that comprises a fuel cell system, a battery, a motor, and a determiner configured to determine that the fuel cell system has a frozen part when temperature measured by a temperature measurement unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined first temperature and at least one of conditions (1) to (3) is satisfied: (1) no purging process is performed after a change from an on state of the vehicle to an off state of the vehicle; (2) ambient temperature decreases to or below a predetermined second temperature in the off state of the vehicle and no purging process is performed; and (3) an inclination of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined inclination at a time of change from the off state of the vehicle to the on state of the vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2016Publication date: December 29, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiko KANEKO, Yohei OKAMOTO, Kazuo YAMAMOTO, Tomohiro OGAWA, Masashi TOIDA, Mitsuhiro NADA, Tomio YAMANAKA
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Publication number: 20160380290Abstract: When an actual output value is less than an output command value, a current command value is increased. When the actual output value is equal to or greater than the output command value, whether the actual output value is within a range of a dead hand is determined. When the actual output value is outside the range of the dead hand, the current command value is decreased. When the actual output value is within the range of the dead band, the current command value is maintained.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2016Publication date: December 29, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yohei OKAMOTO, Hiroyuki IMANISHI, Hiroyuki SUZUKI, Takashi YAMADA
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Publication number: 20160141675Abstract: The present invention provides a technique capable of satisfying both the restoration of an output voltage of a fuel cell and an improvement of electric power responsiveness in a fuel cell system in a situation in which its operation status is restored to a normal operation from an operation having low power generation efficiency. A controller updates a lower limit voltage threshold in accordance with the restoration of an FC voltage until the operation status is restored to a normal operation from an operation having low power generation efficiency, such as an intermittent operation and a warmup operation (step S1). The controller increases an FC current in accordance with the updated lower limit voltage threshold (steps S2 and S3) to thereby satisfy both the requirements of the restoration of the output voltage of the fuel cell stack and the improvement of the electric power responsiveness.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2015Publication date: May 19, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiko KANEKO, Yoshiaki NAGANUMA, Yutaka TANO, Yohei OKAMOTO
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Publication number: 20160141689Abstract: A fuel cell system comprising: a power generation controller that controls a value subject to control, which is a value exhibiting a power generating state by a fuel cell and is a value that is affected by alternating current applied to the fuel cell, to approach a target value; a dead zone setter that sets a dead zone with the target value as a reference; and, a stopper that stops the control by the power generation controller when the value subject to control is contained in the dead zone.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2015Publication date: May 19, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yohei OKAMOTO, Yutaka TANO, Mitsuhiro NADA, Tomohiko KANEKO
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Publication number: 20160141691Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a coolant path connected to the fuel cell and allowing a coolant that cools the fuel cell to flow therethrough; a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature of the coolant in the coolant path; a temperature correction unit configured to calculate a temperature correction value by correcting the temperature of the coolant detected by the temperature detection unit; and a lower limit voltage control unit configured to control a lower limit voltage of the fuel cell based on the temperature correction value, wherein the temperature correction unit calculates the temperature correction value based on a following equation: T filt = T filt ? _ ? old + T - T filt ? _ ? old ? where Tfilt represents the temperature correction value, Tfilt_old represents a last temperature correction value, T represents the temperature of the coolant, and ? represents a coefficient, and the coefficient when the temperature of the coolant is less than aType: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2015Publication date: May 19, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yohei OKAMOTO, Yutaka TANO, Mitsuhiro NADA, Tomohiko KANEKO
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Publication number: 20160141667Abstract: The present invention enables the determination of an operating point of a fuel cell so as to prioritize the fulfillment of an amount of required power generation while avoiding various limitations, such as a current limit, in a fuel cell system that warms up the fuel cell by a low efficiency operation. A controller 70 multiplies a voltage command value Vcom obtained in step S3 by a current command value Icom obtained in step S1, then, this is divided by a final voltage command value Vfcom obtained in step S4, thereby obtaining a final current command value Ifcom to determine an operating point (Ifcom, Vfcom) during a warm-up operation (step S5), and then the process ends.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 6, 2015Publication date: May 19, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiko KANEKO, Yoshiaki NAGANUMA, Yutaka TANO, Yohei OKAMOTO
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Publication number: 20160132035Abstract: A fuel cell system in which power generation is performed by a fuel cell, comprising: a power generation controller that performs: first control in which at least one of power control for preventing generated power from exceeding an upper limit value, voltage control for preventing generated voltage from falling below a lower limit value and current control for preventing generated current from exceeding an upper limit value is performed and second control in which the generated voltage is prevented from exceeding an upper limit value; and a priority instructor that instructs the power generation controller to prioritize the first control over the second control when the first control and the second control collide with each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2015Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yutaka TANO, Mitsuhiro Nada, Tomohiko Kaneko, Yohei Okamoto
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Publication number: 20160129807Abstract: Provided is a method for controlling a fuel cell vehicle capable of informing a user outside of the vehicle of the possibility that the fuel cell stops power generation and external power-feeding stops, whereby problems due to unexpected stopping of power feeding can be avoided. In a method for controlling a fuel cell vehicle 100 including an external power-feeding device 50, when it is determined that a state of a fuel cell exceeds a limiting point where deterioration of the fuel cell 20 or a failure of a driving device to supply fuel to the fuel cell 20 occurs during external power feeding, warning is issued to outside of the vehicle 10 before the fuel cell 20 stops power generation.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 11, 2015Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yohei OKAMOTO, Hiroyuki Imanishi, Mitsuhiro Nada, Takashi Yamada
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Publication number: 20160133974Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell outputting a current; a supply unit supplying oxidant gas; a flow-amount measurement unit measuring a flow amount of the oxidant gas; and a controller that feed-back controls the supply unit such that a measured flow-amount value converges toward a target flow-amount value, wherein the controller determines an acceptable current value in accordance with the measured flow-amount value, restricts the current to the acceptable current value or less, controls the current in accordance with a requested current value of the fuel cell; and performs a changing-suppression processing, when a condition continues for a predetermined period, the condition including that a changing width of the requested current value is equal to or less than a first value and a difference between the requested current value and the acceptable current value is equal to or less than a second value.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2015Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiko KANEKO, Yoshiaki NAGANUMA, Yutaka TANO, Yohei OKAMOTO
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Publication number: 20160133956Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a coolant circulation passage; a radiator; a water pump; a flow dividing valve; a fan; and a controller that, when a first prescribed period elapses in a state where a temperature of a coolant is equal to or more than a first prescribed temperature and an opening degree of the flow dividing valve makes the flow rate of the coolant flowing into the radiator equal to or more than a prescribed flow rate, gives a priority to the rise in a driving voltage of the fan over the increase in a flow rate by the water pump, and when a second prescribed period elapses in a state where the temperature of the coolant is equal to or more than a second prescribed temperature after the driving voltage of the fan is raised, increases the flow rate by the water pump.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 30, 2015Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takashi YAMADA, Hiroyuki IMANISHI, Yohei OKAMOTO
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Patent number: 9187368Abstract: In a manufacturing method for a glass panel with a gasket, an elastic member is placed on a table, and a multilayer glass panel is placed thereupon. A die is pressed against a top surface of the multilayer glass panel, thereby compressing the elastic member and glazing gasket molding material together with adhesive ejected from the application nozzle and applied to the top surface of the multilayer glass panel.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2012Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.Inventors: Yohei Okamoto, Yugo Nagase
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Patent number: 9103265Abstract: A freeze detecting device for an active shutter of a vehicle includes an engine control unit that outputs an opening signal, opens an active shutter, takes in travelling wind to an engine compartment, and inhibits heat damage when an external air temperature is at or below a freezing determination temperature and also a load state is high. On the other hand, when an opening signal is output from the engine control unit but the active shutter does not perform an opening action, a determination of being frozen solid is made, a warning is displayed on the display to warn the vehicle driver.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2014Date of Patent: August 11, 2015Assignee: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Yohei Okamoto
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Patent number: 9010394Abstract: The technology provides for alignment of forming positions of glazing gaskets formed on both front and rear sides of a glass panel. After the glazing gasket has been formed on the multilayer glass panel, a first distance L1 is measured from the reference member to the glazing gasket. After the multilayer glass panel has been reversed and positioned at the reference position for the glass panel, a second distance L1? is measured from the reference member to the glazing gasket. An offset amount of the forming position of the glazing gasket on the rear side of the multilayer glass panel is determined from the difference of the first distance L1 and the second distance L1?. An application starting position of the application nozzle when forming the glazing gasket on the rear side of the multilayer glass panel is corrected based on the offset amount.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2012Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yohei Okamoto, Yugo Nagase