Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Hideshi Izuhara

Tomonori Imamura

Toshiyuki Kawai

Yousuke Hattori

Hiroaki Niino

Yasuhiko Mukai

Keigo Suematsu

Kunio Okamoto

Masao Oooka

Yuichi Sakajo

Akimasa Osaki

Masayoshi Ooishi

Hideki Kashiwagi

Shinya Sakaguchi

Hiroki Tomabechi

Tooru Tanaka

Tetsuroh Kikuchi

A drive assist apparatus includes a position acquisition unit that acquires a position of an own vehicle, a position of a tollgate present ahead of the position of the own vehicle, and a position of a target lane in a road present ahead of the tollgate, a scheduled traveling route creation unit that creates a scheduled traveling route from the position of the own vehicle to the position of the target lane through the position of the tollgate, and a travel control unit that controls the own vehicle so as to travel along the scheduled traveling route.

Drive assist apparatus

A recognition support system includes: an object detection device detecting an object that is located in a periphery of a host vehicle; a direction sensing device sensing a direction to which a driver intends to turn the host vehicle; a range setting device setting a notification range based on the direction sensed by the direction sensing device; a selecting device defining the object, which is detected by the object detecting device, as a specified object when the object moves independently from the host vehicle, and selecting the specified object, which is located within the notification range, to be presented to the driver based on a state of the specified object; and an information presenting device presenting an information enabling the driver to recognize the specified object selected by the selecting device.

Recognition support system

A collision mitigation apparatus is mounted to an own vehicle and mitigates a collision between the own vehicle and an obstacle. The collision mitigation apparatus acquires information indicating that the own vehicle will make a right turn or a left turn at an intersection. When the information indicating that the own vehicle will make the right turn or the left turn at the intersection is acquired, the collision mitigation apparatus sets a target area on a predicted route of the own vehicle at the intersection. The collision mitigation apparatus determines whether or not an obstacle that becomes an obstacle for travelling of the own vehicle is present in or is entering the target area. When the obstacle is present in or is entering the target area, the collision mitigation apparatus performs output to mitigate a collision between the own vehicle and the obstacle.

Collision mitigation apparatus and collision mitigation program

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell having laminated cells; a measuring unit that measures an impedance of the cell and a purging unit that performs purging to discharge residual water from a gas passage. The cell includes a wet region and a dry region which are set depending on a distribution of water in the cell when the purging is executed so as to set a total amount of water in the fuel cell to be a necessary amount of water to start up the fuel cell; the measuring unit measures the impedance at a local portion located at a boundary portion between the wet region and the dry region in the cell; and the purging unit terminates the purging when the impedance measured by the measuring means is larger than a predetermined reference threshold value.

Fuel cell system capable of performing gas purge to adjust amount of water therein

A fuel cell system, control method and current measuring device for a power unit are disclosed. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell having local areas, a current measuring device associated with at least one of the local areas to measure localized current related to a specified operating characteristic, and a control section for diagnosing an operating condition of the fuel cell in response to localized current to enable optimum control of the fuel cell depending upon a specified operating characteristic determined by localized current. The control method controls the operating condition of the fuel cell in response to localized current indicative of the specified operating characteristic of the fuel cell. The current measuring device includes an electrical conductor formed with a recessed portion, a localized current conductor received in the recessed portion, and a current sensor for detecting current flowing across the localized current conductor.

Fuel cell system, related method and current measuring device for fuel cell system

In a fuel cell system utilizing fuel cells which generate electric power by a reaction between oxygen and hydrogen, the moisture content within a fuel cell is adjusted to be brought within an appropriate range by adjusting the operating current of the fuel cell. The total amount of electric power generated by the system is maintained at a required value by supplying/obtaining electric power to/from a secondary battery as required, or by utilizing a plurality of separately controlled fuel cells (or fuel cell stacks) and increasing or decreasing the electric power generated by another fuel cell or stack that is currently operating with an appropriate moisture content.

Fuel cell system utilizing control of operating current to adjust moisture content within fuel cell

A plurality of individual fuel cells are connected in series with each other to construct the fuel cell. The fuel cell is diagnosed on the basis of an average output voltage Va of the individual cells, their standard deviation &#x3c3;, individual output voltages, their variances &#x3c3;of vibration components and their voltage drop speed of their non-vibration components. For example, if Va is within a normal range and moreover at least one of the individual output voltages is not within a normal range, it is diagnosed that water blocks the fuel electrode. If Va is not within a normal range and moreover &#x3c3; is within a normal range, it is diagnosed that the electrolyte film is dried. Further, if Va is not within a normal range and moreover &#x3c3; is not within a normal range, it is diagnosed that the fuel (hydrogen) supply is insufficient.

Growing community of inventors

Nishikamo-gun, Japan

Hideshi Izuhara