Patents by Inventor Yoshihito Kanno

Yoshihito Kanno 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: 9604528
    Abstract: A control apparatus is applied to a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine that is capable of changing over its combustion state between lean combustion and stoichiometric combustion. The control apparatus executes noise suppression control by limiting the operating point of the internal combustion engine to be upon a noise suppression line for lean combustion or to be upon a noise suppression line for stoichiometric combustion, so that the noise generated by a power transmission mechanism is suppressed. When changing over from lean combustion to stoichiometric combustion during execution of noise suppression control, the control apparatus of the present invention changes the air/fuel ratio after changing the operating point of the internal combustion engine from one point to a point that is more toward the lower torque side of the noise suppression line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gohki Kinoshita, Yoshihito Kanno, Hiroki Morita
  • Patent number: 9533676
    Abstract: An electronic control unit included in a control system is configured to execute a change of a combustion mode in an inertia-phase period during a gear shift operation, or after the gear shift operation is completed, when a request for the change of the combustion mode and a request for a gear shift of the transmission mechanism overlap. The electronic control unit is configured to execute the change of the combustion mode in the inertia-phase period during the gear shift operation when conditions i) and ii) are established, and execute the change of the combustion mode after the gear shift operation is completed when conditions i) and iii) are established. The aforementioned conditions include: i) the change of the combustion mode is accompanied by an increase in engine power; ii) the power running mode is executed during the gear shift operation; and iii) the regeneration mode is executed during the gear shift operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gohki Kinoshita, Yoshihito Kanno, Hiroki Morita, Daisuke Izuoka
  • Patent number: 9527497
    Abstract: A control device according to the invention moves an operation point of an internal combustion engine such that a distribution of engine torque with respect to required torque is reduced and then carries out air-fuel ratio control for reducing an air-fuel ratio of the internal combustion engine in a case where an operation mode of the internal combustion engine should be switched from a lean combustion mode to a stoichiometric combustion mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Morita, Yoshihito Kanno, Gohki Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20160318504
    Abstract: An electronic control unit included in a control system is configured to execute a change of a combustion mode in an inertia-phase period during a gear shift operation, or after the gear shift operation is completed, when a request for the change of the combustion mode and a request for a gear shift of the transmission mechanism overlap. The electronic control unit is configured to execute the change of the combustion mode in the inertia-phase period during the gear shift operation when conditions i) and ii) are established, and execute the change of the combustion mode after the gear shift operation is completed when conditions i) and iii) are established. The aforementioned conditions include: i) the change of the combustion mode is accompanied by an increase in engine power; ii) the power running mode is executed during the gear shift operation; and iii) the regeneration mode is executed during the gear shift operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Publication date: November 3, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gohki KINOSHITA, Yoshihito KANNO, Hiroki MORITA, Daisuke IZUOKA
  • Publication number: 20160304078
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle controls a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including: a power source including an internal combustion engine and an electric; a recirculating device configured to recirculate an exhaust gas from an exhaust side to an intake side of the internal combustion engine; and a recirculation amount adjusting device configured to adjust an amount of the recirculation by the recirculating device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tatsuya IMAMURA, Atsushi TABATA, Ryuji IBARAKI, Yuji YASUDA, Yoshihito KANNO
  • Publication number: 20160264125
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle is provided with a first charge controlling device configured to maintain output of an internal combustion engine at a predetermined value or more, and to charge a power storing device with an output excess with respect to an output request for the internal combustion engine. The control apparatus includes a second charge controlling device configured to charge the power storing device with an output increment caused by upshift of a gear shifting device. The control apparatus further includes a transmission time changing device configured to extend an execution time of the upshift or to delay start timing of the upshift, in order to prevent charge power for the power storing device from exceeding an input limit value for the power storing device, if the control time of the output reduction request overlaps the control time of the upshift request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihito KANNO, Gohki KINOSHITA, Hiroki MORITA
  • Patent number: 9434376
    Abstract: The control apparatus of the present invention is applied to a hybrid vehicle that, as power sources for propulsion, includes an internal combustion engine that can change over between lean combustion and stoichiometric combustion, and motor-generators. The control apparatus performs the noise suppression control in which the operating points of the internal combustion engine are limited so as to suppress noise generated by a power transmission mechanism, and changes over the operational mode of the internal combustion engine if the thermal efficiency when performing the noise suppression control by changing over the operational mode of the internal combustion engine is higher than the thermal efficiency when performing the noise suppression control by keeping the operational mode of the internal combustion engine the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gohki Kinoshita, Yoshihito Kanno, Hiroki Morita
  • Publication number: 20160137187
    Abstract: A control apparatus, which is configured to control a hybrid vehicle, is provided with: a device configured to determine whether or not there is a response delay of the supercharger; a device configured to control torque of the rotary electric machine to compensate for an insufficiency of torque of a drive shaft if there is the response delay when an output limit value of the battery is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; a device configured to estimate a NOx storage amount in the NOx storage/reduction catalyst; and a device configured to control an air-fuel ratio of the internal combustion engine to be rich if the NOx storage amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, or if there is the response delay when the output limit value of the battery is less than the predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihito KANNO, Gohki KINOSHITA, Hiroki MORITA
  • Publication number: 20160107636
    Abstract: A control device according to the invention moves an operation point of an internal combustion engine such that a distribution of engine torque with respect to required torque is reduced and then carries out air-fuel ratio control for reducing an air-fuel ratio of the internal combustion engine in a case where an operation mode of the internal combustion engine should be switched from a lean combustion mode to a stoichiometric combustion mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki MORITA, Yoshihito KANNO, Gohki KINOSHITA
  • Patent number: 9248830
    Abstract: The control apparatus of the present invention is applied to a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine that is capable, during operation, of changing over its operational mode to lean combustion or to stoichiometric combustion. The control apparatus preferentially selects an operational mode having high system efficiency in relation to the requested power, and selects the stoichiometric combustion mode (S104) when, under the specific condition that the system efficiency is higher in the lean combustion mode as compared to the EV mode and moreover is lower in the stoichiometric combustion mode as compared to the EV mode, also the temperature (Tnc) of an exhaust purification catalyst is less than or equal to a first predetermined value (T?) (S101, S102).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihito Kanno, Gohki Kinoshita, Hiroki Morita
  • Publication number: 20150377164
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine is provided. The control apparatus includes an ECU. The ECU is configured to change, in a stepped manner, an air-fuel ratio of the internal combustion engine so as to change over a combustion mode of the internal combustion engine between lean combustion and stoichiometric combustion, when an operating point of the internal combustion engine satisfies a first changeover condition that is defined by a rotational speed and a torque of the internal combustion engine. The first changeover condition is defined by the rotational speed and the torque that correspond to a predetermined intake air amount at which a thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine is maintained before and after changeover of the combustion mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihito KANNO
  • Publication number: 20150369144
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes an engine and a transmission. The transmission is configured to continuously change an engine operating point that is defined by a rotational speed of the engine and a torque of the engine. The control apparatus includes an ECU. The ECU is configured to, when a target engine required power increases in response to a reacceleration operation, set the rotational speed and the torque so as to reach a power of the engine to the target engine required power while holding the rotational speed equal to or higher than the rotational speed at a time of the reacceleration operation. The ECU is configured to control the engine operating point based on the set rotational speed and the set torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji ITAGAKI, Yoshihito KANNO, Gohki KINOSHITA, Hiroki MORITA, Daisuke IZUOKA
  • Publication number: 20150353073
    Abstract: The control apparatus of the present invention is applied to a hybrid vehicle that, as power sources for propulsion, includes an internal combustion engine that can change over between lean combustion and stoichiometric combustion, and motor-generators. The control apparatus performs the noise suppression control in which the operating points of the internal combustion engine are limited so as to suppress noise generated by a power transmission mechanism, and changes over the operational mode of the internal combustion engine if the thermal efficiency when performing the noise suppression control by changing over the operational mode of the internal combustion engine is higher than the thermal efficiency when performing the noise suppression control by keeping the operational mode of the internal combustion engine the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gohki KINOSHITA, Yoshihito KANNO, Hiroki MORITA
  • Publication number: 20150353074
    Abstract: The control apparatus of the present invention is applied to a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine that is capable of changing over its combustion state between lean combustion and stoichiometric combustion. The control apparatus executes noise suppression control by limiting the operating point of the internal combustion engine to be upon a noise suppression line for lean combustion or to be upon a noise suppression line for stoichiometric combustion, so that the noise generated by a power transmission mechanism is suppressed. When changing over from lean combustion to stoichiometric combustion during execution of noise suppression control, the control apparatus of the present invention changes the air/fuel ratio after changing the operating point of the internal combustion engine from one point to a point that is more toward the lower torque side of the noise suppression line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gohki KINOSHITA, Yoshihito KANNO, Hiroki MORITA
  • Publication number: 20150298687
    Abstract: The control apparatus of the present invention is applied to a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine that is capable, during operation, of changing over its operational mode to lean combustion or to stoichiometric combustion. The control apparatus preferentially selects an operational mode having high system efficiency in relation to the requested power, and selects the stoichiometric combustion mode (S104) when, under the specific condition that the system efficiency is higher in the lean combustion mode as compared to the EV mode and moreover is lower in the stoichiometric combustion mode as compared to the EV mode, also the temperature (Tnc) of an exhaust purification catalyst is less than or equal to a first predetermined value (T?) (S101, S102).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshihito Kanno, Gohki Kinoshita, Hiroki Morita
  • Patent number: 8703349
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an exhaust mechanism that is connected to a downstream end of an anode gas flow channel and is capable of selecting an exhaust mode and a closed mode, a detecting device for detecting a downstream flow of an impurity in the anode gas flow channel, and a controlling device for controlling the operation of the exhaust mechanism such that the exhaust mode is selected when the magnitude of the downstream flow of the impurity meets a predetermined switching criterion and the closed mode is selected when the magnitude of the downstream flow of the impurity does not meet the switching criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihito Kanno
  • Patent number: 8509979
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to detect the generation of a drag torque in a locking mechanism, in a hybrid vehicle in which a speed change mode can be changed between a fixed speed change mode and a stepless speed change mode by the action of the locking mechanism. In a hybrid vehicle, a brake mechanism is a wet multiplate brake apparatus and can selectively lock a motor generator. On the other hand, in a case where the drag torque is generated in the brake mechanism, if the motor generator is in a positive rotation state, an actual motor generator torque (first torque) is greater than a torque (less as a reaction torque, second torque) calculated from the operating condition of the hybrid vehicle by the amount of the drag torque. If the motor generator is in a negative rotation state, the first torque is less (greater as the reaction torque) than the second torque. The ECU uses this phenomenon to detect the drag torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihito Kanno, Hiroaki Ebuchi, Hirotatsu Kitabatake, Hiromichi Kimura, Yukihiko Ideshio, Tomohito Ono, Hideki Sano
  • Patent number: 8383277
    Abstract: The standard permeation amount of an impurity substance, that is, the permeation amount per unit area of the impurity substance under a standard concentration is calculated from the gas pressures in the gas channels, the impedance, and the fuel cell temperature. The permeation index of the impurity substance at each of locations in the anode-side gas channel is calculated on the basis of the previously calculated value of the concentration distribution of the impurity substance. Then, on the basis of the standard permeation amount and the permeation index, the permeation amounts of the impurity substance at the locations in the anode-side gas channel are calculated. On the basis of a total of the permeation amounts, the amount of the impurity substance accumulated in the anode-side gas channel is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayoshi Tezuka, Yoshihito Kanno
  • Patent number: 8367259
    Abstract: The present invention has been devised in order to solve the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system that can discharge an impurity in an anode gas flow channel while suppressing wasteful discharge of a fuel gas to the outside of the system. An exhaust valve is connected to a downstream end of an anode gas flow channel of a fuel cell. The exhaust valve has an exhaust mode in which a substantially smaller amount of gas than the consumption of a fuel gas in the anode gas flow channel is discharged to the outside of the system. After a request to stop electric power generation by the fuel cell, the output current value of the fuel cell is increased to a predetermined value. Then, the exhaust valve is set in the exhaust mode before or when the output current value is increased, and the discharge flow rate of the exhaust valve is increased in accordance with the increase of the output current value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihito Kanno
  • Publication number: 20120095635
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to detect the generation of a drag torque in a locking mechanism, in a hybrid vehicle in which a speed change mode can be changed between a fixed speed change mode and a stepless speed change mode by the action of the locking mechanism. In a hybrid vehicle, a brake mechanism is a wet multiplate brake apparatus and can selectively lock a motor generator. On the other hand, in a case where the drag torque is generated in the brake mechanism, if the motor generator is in a positive rotation state, an actual motor generator torque (first torque) is greater than a torque (less as a reaction torque, second torque) calculated from the operating condition of the hybrid vehicle by the amount of the drag torque. If the motor generator is in a negative rotation state, the first torque is less (greater as the reaction torque) than the second torque. The ECU uses this phenomenon to detect the drag torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihito Kanno, Hiroaki Ebuchi, Hirotatsu Kitabatake, Hiromichi Kimura, Yukihiko Ideshio, Tomohito Ono, Hideki Sano