Patents by Inventor Yoshikatsu FUJIMURA

Yoshikatsu FUJIMURA 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: 11705563
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a control unit that detects an abnormality of a flow dividing valve provided in a bypass channel for an oxidation gas by using a detected opening degree detected by a valve opening degree detection sensor that detects the opening degree of the flow dividing valve. When the detected abnormality is an opening abnormality that is failure to open and the flow dividing valve can close, the control unit sends a closing command for making the opening degree smaller than a current opening degree to a valve driving motor. Either when the detected abnormality is a closing abnormality that is failure to close and the flow dividing valve can open or when the detected abnormality is an opening-closing abnormality that is failure both to close and to open, the control unit sends a maintaining command for maintaining the opening degree to the valve driving motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Fujimura, Shinobu Otsuka, Jiro Oikawa
  • Patent number: 11695139
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a first valve device provided at an oxidation gas supply channel; a second valve device provided at an oxidation off-gas discharge channel; a third valve device provided at a bypass channel; an abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality; and a control unit. The control unit causes the fuel cell to initiate fail-safe power generation if (i) a different abnormality from a valve opening abnormality is detected in the first valve device, (ii) the different abnormality is detected in the second valve device, or (iii) any abnormality is detected in the third valve device. During the fail-safe power generation, if any abnormality is additionally detected in any valve device different from the valve device in which an abnormality is already detected, the control unit stops power generation by the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Fujimura, Shinobu Otsuka, Jiro Oikawa
  • Patent number: 11456469
    Abstract: A fuel cell system including a fuel cell, an air compressor that supplies oxidant gas to the fuel cell, an upstream supply pipe provided with the air compressor, a downstream supply pipe connected to the upstream supply pipe and the fuel cell, an upstream discharge pipe connected to the fuel cell, a downstream discharge pipe connected to the upstream discharge pipe, a bypass pipe, a valve mechanism configured to be switchable between a supply state and a bypass state, and a controller configured to control the air compressor, the valve mechanism, and a power generation state of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shun Matsumoto, Yoshikatsu Fujimura, Shigeki Hasegawa, Shuya Kawahara, Takeho Aisaka, Hiroyuki Imanishi
  • Publication number: 20220123335
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a first valve device provided at an oxidation gas supply channel; a second valve device provided at an oxidation off-gas discharge channel; a third valve device provided at a bypass channel; an abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality; and a control unit. The control unit causes the fuel cell to initiate fail-safe power generation if (i) a different abnormality from a valve opening abnormality is detected in the first valve device, (ii) the different abnormality is detected in the second valve device, or (iii) any abnormality is detected in the third valve device. During the fail-safe power generation, if any abnormality is additionally detected in any valve device different from the valve device in which an abnormality is already detected, the control unit stops power generation by the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu FUJIMURA, Shinobu OTSUKA, Jiro OIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220109171
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a control unit that detects an abnormality of a flow dividing valve provided in a bypass channel for an oxidation gas by using a detected opening degree detected by a valve opening degree detection sensor that detects the opening degree of the flow dividing valve. When the detected abnormality is an opening abnormality that is failure to open and the flow dividing valve can close, the control unit sends a closing command for making the opening degree smaller than a current opening degree to a valve driving motor. Either when the detected abnormality is a closing abnormality that is failure to close and the flow dividing valve can open or when the detected abnormality is an opening-closing abnormality that is failure both to close and to open, the control unit sends a maintaining command for maintaining the opening degree to the valve driving motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu FUJIMURA, Shinobu OTSUKA, Jiro OIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20210376355
    Abstract: A fuel cell system including a fuel cell, an air compressor that supplies oxidant gas to the fuel cell, an upstream supply pipe provided with the air compressor, a downstream supply pipe connected to the upstream supply pipe and the fuel cell, an upstream discharge pipe connected to the fuel cell, a downstream discharge pipe connected to the upstream discharge pipe, a bypass pipe, a valve mechanism configured to be switchable between a supply state and a bypass state, and a controller configured to control the air compressor, the valve mechanism, and a power generation state of the fuel cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Shun MATSUMOTO, Yoshikatsu FUJIMURA, Shigeki HASEGAWA, Shuya KAWAHARA, Takeho AISAKA, Hiroyuki IMANISHI
  • Patent number: 11139494
    Abstract: A controller of a fuel cell system performs cathode gas supply control to raise an average cell voltage of a fuel cell stack by increasing supply of cathode gas to the fuel cell stack, when electric power required to be generated by the fuel cell stack is equal to zero, and the average cell voltage is lower than a predetermined target voltage. Under the cathode gas supply control, the controller sets the target voltage when a predetermined condition indicating that crossleak is likely to occur is satisfied, to a value higher than a reference target voltage as the target voltage in the case where the condition is not satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryoichi Namba, Tomotaka Ishikawa, Yoshikatsu Fujimura
  • Publication number: 20190140291
    Abstract: A controller of a fuel cell system performs cathode gas supply control to raise an average cell voltage of a fuel cell stack by increasing supply of cathode gas to the fuel cell stack, when electric power required to be generated by the fuel cell stack is equal to zero, and the average cell voltage is lower than a predetermined target voltage. Under the cathode gas supply control, the controller sets the target voltage when a predetermined condition indicating that crossleak is likely to occur is satisfied, to a value higher than a reference target voltage as the target voltage in the case where the condition is not satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryoichi NAMBA, Tomotaka ISHIKAWA, Yoshikatsu FUJIMURA