Patents by Inventor Yoshihiro Ohkuwa

Yoshihiro Ohkuwa 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: 10850596
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack configured to supply power to an electric motor for driving a vehicle as well as generating power by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, a discharge circuit and the discharge control circuit. The discharge circuit may form a plurality of discharge paths through which power generated in the fuel cell stack is discharged switching elements switching the connection relationships between resistance elements. The discharge control circuit form a second discharge path whose resistance value is smaller than the resistance value of the first discharge path and to switch the discharge through a first discharge path to discharge through the second discharge path when the detected voltage that is detected by the voltage detection unit is lower than a predetermined threshold voltage during the discharge through the first discharge path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Imanishi, Yoshihiro Ohkuwa
  • Patent number: 10381666
    Abstract: A control device of a fuel cell system includes a sensor state determining unit and a power generation control unit. A sensor state determining unit performs sensor state determining control before a first startup of the fuel cell after supply complete timing into a first tank and a second tank based on first pressure detected by a first pressure sensor at the supply complete timing, and second pressure detected by a second pressure sensor after a valve is opened. A power generation control unit starts up the fuel cell only when the sensor state determining unit determines that the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor are normal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Ohkuwa, Taiki Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20180183077
    Abstract: A control device of a fuel cell system includes a sensor state determining unit and a power generation control unit. A sensor state determining unit performs sensor state determining control before a first startup of the fuel cell after supply complete timing into a first tank and a second tank based on first pressure detected by a first pressure sensor at the supply complete timing, and second pressure detected by a second pressure sensor after a valve is opened. A power generation control unit starts up the fuel cell only when the sensor state determining unit determines that the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor are normal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro OHKUWA, Taiki IKEDA
  • Publication number: 20170305252
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack configured to supply power to an electric motor for driving a vehicle as well as generating power by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, a discharge circuit and the discharge control circuit. The discharge circuit may form a plurality of discharge paths through which power generated in the fuel cell stack is discharged switching elements switching the connection relationships between resistance elements. The discharge control circuit form a second discharge path whose resistance value is smaller than the resistance value of the first discharge path and to switch the discharge through a first discharge path to discharge through the second discharge path when the detected voltage that is detected by the voltage detection unit is lower than a predetermined threshold voltage during the discharge through the first discharge path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro IMANISHI, Yoshihiro OHKUWA
  • Publication number: 20120116635
    Abstract: A control target processing system includes: a first generating unit that generates first time-series data that are time-series data of an input value; a second generating unit that is formed of a plurality of processing units, that exchanges time-series data among the plurality of processing units, and that calculates intermediate computation values corresponding to the respective input values contained in the input time-series data in the respective processing units to thereby generate second time-series data that are time-series data of the intermediate computation value; a selecting unit that selects a selection value from among the second time-series data in accordance with a first selection condition; and an output unit that calculates and outputs a control variable for controlling a controlled object on the basis of the selection value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Ohkuwa, Yukio Otake
  • Patent number: 8148924
    Abstract: An electrical load controller that controls the starting sequence for a plurality of electrical loads includes a start demanding unit that generates a demand to start at least one of the plurality of electrical loads. A first electrical load is started immediately if the time between when a second electrical load start and when the second electrical load receives a signal indicating that the first electrical load will start (second prescribed time) is longer than the time required to send the signal between the first and second electrical loads (third prescribed time), and the time required for an inrush current to decrease to a prescribed value (first prescribed time) is less than the difference between the second prescribed time and the third prescribed time. Thus, there is sufficient time for the inrush current of the first electrical load to decrease before starting the second electrical load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Ohkuwa, Shigeyuki Kido, Naoki Matsushita, Kenji Terao
  • Publication number: 20100004793
    Abstract: An electrical load controller that controls the starting sequence for a plurality of electrical loads includes a start demanding unit that generates a demand to start at least one of the plurality of electrical loads. A first electrical load is started immediately if the time between when a second electrical load start and when the second electrical load receives a signal indicating that the first electrical load will start (second prescribed time) is longer than the time required to send the signal between the first and second electrical loads (third prescribed time), and the time required for an inrush current to decrease to a prescribed value (first prescribed time) is less than the difference between the second prescribed time and the third prescribed time. Thus, there is sufficient time for the inrush current of the first electrical load to decrease before starting the second electrical load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Ohkuwa, Shigeyuki Kido, Naoki Matsushita, Kenji Terao
  • Patent number: 5883585
    Abstract: A system for detecting an object located on a travelling path even in bad weather or during nighttime in which conducting wires having a predetermined impedance value are laid along a travelling path, and a signal is supplied to the conducting wires from a signal source. If a vehicle exists on the path, the impedance of the conducting wires changes at the position where the vehicle is present. A signal reflected from the impedance change position is detected by a detector. The position of the vehicle can be determined from the timing of the received reflection signal. It is also possible to detect a vehicle changing lanes or the like by means of a plurality of conductive wires laid along the travelling path. Instead of a conducting wire, an optical fiber may be provided for determining the position of a vehicle using the refractive index change in the optical fiber due to the weight of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eisaku Akutsu, Yoshihiro Ohkuwa