Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Masahiro Asano

Keiji Okamoto

Toshihisa Taniguchi

Atusi Sakaida

Yoshihiko Shiraishi

Norio Gouko

Eiji Takemoto

Koji Ishizuka

Kazuhiro Higuchi

Sumitaka Ikeda

Youhei Morimoto

Satoru Sasaki

Yoshimitsu Takashima

Mitsuhiro Nishimura

Hiroshi Haraguchi

Yuuki Tarusawa

Akira Umehara

Yoshihiro Narahara

Katsumi Nagasaka

Tomikazu Ishikawa

Shinya Hoshi

Takashi Tokizawa

Yoshimitsu Yamaguchi

Kazutaka Maeda

Hisatoshi Kojima

Takayuki Suzuki

Toshiya Hayashi

Yuuki Nakatsuji

Atsushi Sakaida

Norio Goko

Toshihiko Fujimoto

Satoru Nejigane

Atsushi Kusaka

Katsuyoshi Shiraishi

Katsumi Matsumoto

An external power feed system includes a vehicle and an external power feed device disposed outside the vehicle. The external power feed device includes an external electric leak detector configured to detect an electric leak. The vehicle includes a power supply device configured to supply electric power to the external power feed device. The vehicle includes an external power feed relay. The external power feed relay is disposed between the external power feed device and the power supply device when the external power feed device is connected to the vehicle. The vehicle includes a controller configured to control the external power feed relay such that the external power feed relay is turned off when the external electric leak detector detects an electric leak.

External power feed system and electric leak detection method therefor

A position detection device, for detecting a change in relative position of a detection object with respect to a reference portion, includes: a base portion immovable with respect to the reference portion; a following portion deformable or movable following relative movement of the detection object with respect to the reference portion; an expandable and contractible member; and a heat flux detection section. The expandable and contractible member is provided between the base portion and the following portion, is made of a material expandable and contractible according to deformation or movement of the following portion, and generates heat during contraction and absorbs heat during expansion. The heat flux detection section is provided to be subjected to heat of the expandable and contractible member, and is configured to detect a heat flux that is a flow of heat between an inside and an outside of the expandable and contractible member.

Position detection device

A heat flow measurement apparatus is provided with a heat flux sensor and a thermocouple sheet. The heat flux sensor includes an insulation substrate, a plurality of interlayer connection members, a front surface wiring pattern, a back surface wiring pattern, a front surface protective member and a back surface protective member. The thermocouple sheet includes a thermocouple, a first insulation sheet and a second insulation sheet, and is fixed to a portion where the front surface protective member and the back surface protective member extend in a surface direction from the insulation substrate.

Heat flow measurement apparatus

A failure diagnostic apparatus for use in a ball screw conveyer includes a bearing stopper placed in contact with a bearing supporting a ball screw, a sensor unit equipped with an elastic member and a heat flux sensor, and a malfunction detector. The heat flux sensor works to produce an output as a function of deformation or displacement of the bearing stopper. The malfunction detector works to analyze the output from the heat flux sensor to detect a failure in operation of the ball screw conveyer. This enables a malfunction of the ball screw conveyer to be detected quickly and accurately.

Failure diagnostic apparatus for ball screw device

A strain detecting device includes a sensor portion and a covering elastic deformation member. The elastic deformation member generates heat when compressed and absorbs heat when expanded, resulting in heat flux. The sensor portion includes first and second heat flux sensors, each of which has first and second sensor surfaces formed opposite to each other. Each sensor outputs a strain-indicating signal of a polarity when the heat flux passes through the sensor, from the first sensor surface to the second sensor surface, and outputs a strain-indicating signal of an opposite polarity when the heat flux passes through the sensor in reverse, from the second sensor surface to the first sensor surface. The first sensor surfaces are opposed to each other across a heat absorbing member interposed between the sensors. The sensor portion generates signals based on the heat flux generated by deformation of the elastic deformation member.

Strain detecting device and diagnosing device

A position change measuring device which measures a change in position of a target object and includes a base member, a press member which is movable following a change in position of the target object, an elastic member which produces heat when contracting or absorbs heat when expanding, a heat flux sensor which outputs a signal as a function of a rate of heat flux transferred inside or outside the elastic member, and a diaphragm unit which is made of elastically deformable material. The diaphragm unit is retained by the base member in contact with the press member and works to produce force of resilience to recover the elastic member to its initial state when the elastic member contracts or expands in response to movement of the press member. This structure improves a response rate for sensing a change in position of the target object with high accuracy.

Position change measuring device

A strain detector is interposed between a base and an attachment member in a structure body having the base, the attachment member, and the stainless bolts fixed the base to the attachment member. The strain detector includes an elastic member and a heat flux sensor. The elastic member is provided to compress or extend in accordance with a deformation of the stainless bolts, and the elastic member generates heat based on the compression and absorbs heat based on the extension. The heat flux sensor is deformed in accordance with the compression or the extension of the elastic member and the heat in the elastic member is transferred to the heat flux sensor. The heat flux sensor can detect a magnitude of the heat flux Fhas a heat stream between the inside of the elastic member and the outside, generated by the compression or the extension of the elastic member.

Strain detector

With a method of manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion device, first via holes of a first insulator are filled with a first conductive paste. Third via holes of a second insulator are filled with a second conductive paste. Next, parts of the first conductive paste protruding from the first via holes of the first insulator are inserted into fourth via holes of the second insulator. Parts of the second conductive paste protruding from the third via holes of the second insulator are inserted into second via holes. Next, a rear surface protection member having rear surface wiring patterns, the second insulator, the first insulator, and a front surface protection member having front surface wiring patterns are arranged in this order to form a stacked body. Next, the stacked body is heated while being pressed in the stacking direction.

Thermoelectric conversion device and method of manufacturing the same

A monitoring device monitors a forming machine (target device). The forming machine includes a housing, a bearing attached to the housing, and a shaft placed radially inside the bearing. The monitoring device includes a plurality of heat flux sensors and a detector. The heat flux sensors are provided on the radially outer side of the bearing and spaced from each other in the circumferential direction of the bearing. The heat flux sensors output a signal corresponding to heat fluxes through faces thereof on the bearing side and faces thereof on the other side. The detector detects a load applied radially to the shaft or bearing, based on the output from the heat flux sensors.

Monitoring device

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, auxiliary devices, an auxiliary device controller, a secondary battery, a current sensor, a voltage sensor, and a diagnosis controller. In an output stop state where the fuel cell does not output electric power, the auxiliary device controller performs a residual water scavenging process of scavenging water remaining in the fuel cell to outside of the fuel cell system by driving the auxiliary devices using electric power supplied from the secondary battery and supplying the gas to the fuel cell. The diagnosis controller diagnoses the secondary battery using a current integrated value that is obtained by integrating amounts of current supplied from the secondary battery in a predetermined voltage range of a discharge voltage of the secondary battery that changes in response to discharge when electric power is supplied to the auxiliary devices by performing the residual water scavenging process.

Fuel cell system and secondary battery diagnosis method

In a runout detection device for detecting runout of a rotating member, a displacement unit abuts on the rotating member, and is displaced in accordance with displacement of the rotating member while the rotor abuts on the displacement unit. An elastic member elastically deforms in accordance with displacement of the displacement unit. A heat flux sensor detects a heat flux generated by elastic deformation of the elastic member. The runout detection device is configured to detect runout of the rotating member based on the heat flux detected by the heat flux sensor.

Runout detection device configured to detect runout of the rotating member based on the heat flux detected by the heat

An abnormality estimation apparatus for estimating an abnormality in a belt of a belt conveyor includes a displacement part that is displaced in accordance with tension or a change of the tension of the belt when the displacement part is caused to abut against the belt to receive the tension of the belt, an elastic body that is elastically deformed in accordance with displacement of the displacement part, a heat flow sensor that detects a heat flow occurring due to elastic deformation of the elastic body, and an abnormality estimation part that estimates whether there is an abnormality in the belt based on a detection result by the heat flow sensor.

Abnormality estimation apparatus having a heat flow sensor that detects a heat flow caused by an elastic deformation of an elastic body

A load change detection apparatus is provided with a base member, an elastic member, a first plate, a fixing member and heat flow sensors. The elastic member deforms according to a changed load applied to the elastic member, received by the receiving member. The first plate supports a surface of the elastic member on a side of the base member. The fixing member fixes the lower plate and the elastic member to the base member. The heat flow sensors, provided between the base member and the lower plate, output signals according to heat flowing between the lower plate and the base member. The heat flows due to heat generated or heat absorbed when the elastic member changes the elasticity shape thereof. Stress occurring when the elastic member deforms, is shut off by the first plate, thus direct transmission of the stress to the heat flow sensors is avoided.

Apparatus for detecting changes in a load applied there-to

A tension measuring apparatus includes a displacement part that is displaced in accordance with tension or a change of the tension of a wire rod to be measured when the displacement part is caused to abut against the wire rod to receive the tension of the wire rod, an elastic body that is elastically deformed in accordance with displacement of the displacement part, and a heat flow sensor that detects a heat flow caused by elastic deformation of the elastic body.

Tension measuring apparatus having a heat flow sensor that detects a heat flow caused by an elastic deformation of an elastic body

A heat engine is provided which includes: a boiler unit including an evaporation chamber and a fluid-pool chamber, the evaporation chamber heating a working fluid by supplied heat and generating vapor of the fluid, and the fluid-pool chamber collecting the fluid supplied to the evaporation chamber; an output unit through which the vapor flows, and which converts energy of the vapor to mechanical energy; a condensation unit which condenses the vapor that has passed through the output unit, and refluxes the condensed fluid to the fluid-pool chamber; and a working fluid guide member which is disposed in the boiler unit, and which sucks the fluid in the fluid-pool chamber by using capillary force and supplies the fluid to the evaporation chamber. The evaporation chamber is separated from the fluid-pool chamber. Pressure in the evaporation chamber is higher than pressure in the fluid-pool chamber. The working fluid guide member satisfies (2&#x3c3;/r)&#xb7;cos &#x3b8;&#x3e;PH&#x2212;PL.

Growing community of inventors

Kariya, Japan

Masahiro Asano