Yutaka Giken Co., Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Ev Energy Co., Ltd.

Other

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Primearth Ev Energy Co., Ltd.

Fujiunivance Corporation

Panasonic Corporation

Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metal Corporation

Naoto Sato

Nobuyasu Morishita

Katsunori Komori

Naomi Takagi

Munehisa Ikoma

Tetsuya Osaka

Akihiro Taniguchi

Tokuji Yoshimoto

Daisuke Koba

Yasuhiro Takahashi

Katsunori Maegawa

Sachio Takeda

Kazuhiko Adachi

Takashi Ito

Tomohiko Tsuchiya

Takashi Katsurai

Shigeki Muroga

Masatoshi Akagi

Kenichi Goshokubo

Katsuyoshi Aoshima

Tatsuya Furukawa

Toshihide Kiriyama

Syouji Takano

Toru Shimogaki

Nobuyasu Norishita

Morihiro Watanabe

Naoto Oono

Toshio Kimura

This device and method use the complex impedance of a rechargeable battery to detect the state of the rechargeable battery. A computer determines the slope of the complex impedance at least two different frequencies in a diffusion region of the rechargeable battery when a straight-line approximation has been made, and compares the slope with a threshold value. If the slope is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the computer determines that the battery has a normal capacity balance, and if the slope is less than the threshold value, the computer determines that the battery has an abnormal unbalanced capacity. Furthermore, if the magnitude of an imaginary axis component of the complex impedance in the diffusion region of the rechargeable battery is greater than the threshold battery, the computer determines that the battery has an abnormal capacity balance, and if said magnitude is less than or equal to the threshold value, the computer determines that the battery has a normal capacity balance.

Device for detecting normal, abnormal or deteriorated battery state

A rechargeable battery exchanging method which exchanges rechargeable batteries of an assembled battery to rebuild new assembled battery. The method includes discharging a rechargeable battery derived from an assembled battery until the rechargeable battery becomes a fully discharged state and storing the rechargeable battery in a storage region for a predetermined period of time or longer from when the rechargeable battery becomes the fully discharged state to prepare a reusable rechargeable battery. The method further includes rebuilding a regenerated assembled battery by combining the stored reusable rechargeable battery with a stored reusable rechargeable battery derived from other assembled batteries or combining the stored reusable rechargeable battery with a fresh rechargeable battery.

Method for exchanging rechargeable batteries

An apparatus for accurately estimating the SOC of a rechargeable battery installed in a hybrid electric vehicle. A voltage variation measurement unit measures terminal voltage variation amount of the rechargeable battery in a no-battery-current state in which a charge-discharge current does not flow in the rechargeable battery. A polarization voltage calculator calculates a polarization voltage from the measured variation amount. An electromotive force calculator subtracts the polarization voltage from a non-load voltage in a state in which a charge-discharge path is open to calculate the electromotive force of the rechargeable battery. An SOC estimator estimates the SOC of the rechargeable battery based on the electromotive force.

Method for estimating state of charge of a rechargeable battery

An apparatus for estimating a state of charge (SOC) of a secondary battery. A control section of a battery controller (ECU) computes a total amount of electric discharge of a secondary battery and compares the total amount of electric discharge with a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value is set so as to fall within a range of; for instance, 400 Ah to 1600 Ah. When the total amount of electric discharge is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value, an open-circuit-voltage (OCV)-SOC map is replaced with a map achieved in a state where a memory effect is saturated. When the total amount of electric discharge is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, a correction is made to the map so as to achieve a map that is a mixture consisting of the OCV-SOC map achieved in an initial state and the OCV-SOC map achieved in the saturated state at a predetermined ratio. The SOC is estimated by use of the corrected map.

Apparatus for estimating state of charge of secondary battery

An impeller for a fluid transmitting device includes a hub and a bowl-shaped shell connected to an outer peripheral portion of the hub via an annular weld seam. An inner peripheral surface of the shell is fitted to an outer peripheral surface of the hub, and the weld seam is formed therebetween by laser welding over an entire length of fitting depth. Thus, it is possible to form the annular weld seam between the hub and the shell with a relatively small amount of heat input, and to precisely perform a visual inspection as to whether the weld seam is good or not without any skill.

Impeller for fluid transmitting device and method of manufacturing the same

In a fluid transmitting device, a plurality of first power transmission claws are inserted between adjacent ones of damper springs and secure to a clutch piston; and a plurality of second power transmission claws are inserted between adjacent ones of the damper springs so as to face the first power transmission claws, and has support portions which are connected to an outer peripheral surface of a shell of a turbine impeller via a weld formed by laser beams. The weld is formed into a linear shape extending along a circumferential direction of the shell so that the weld is melt by the laser beams to extend from an outer surface of the support portion to an inner peripheral surface of the shell. Thus, it is possible to easily perform welding between the support portions of the second power transmission claws and the shell of the turbine impeller, and to easily perform a visual inspection as to whether the welding condition is good or not.

Fluid transmitting device with lock-up clutch

An alkaline storage battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and an alkaline electrolyte retained in the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator. The alkaline storage battery further includes a first compound for adsorbing ammonia between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The positive electrode comprises a second compound for increasing oxygen overvoltage at a time of overcharge. Thus, an alkaline storage battery with particularly little self-discharge can be provided.

Alkaline storage battery

A one-way clutch includes an inner race; an outer racesurrounding the inner race; a plurality of rollersinserted between an outer peripheral surface of the inner raceand a plurality of wedge facesformed on the outer raceso that they are opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the inner race; and springsfor biasing the rollersin directions to bite into the wedge faces. In the one-way clutch, the outer racecomprises an outer race bodymade of a light alloy and surrounding the inner race, and roller-receiving memberswhich have the wedge facesand which are disposed on bottoms of a plurality of recessesin the inner race bodyand harder than the outer race body. Thus, it is possible to achieve a reduction in weight of the outer race, while ensuring the durability of a contact face of the outer race with the rollers.

One-way clutch

An alkaline storage battery comprises: a positive electrode plate; a negative electrode plate; a separator; and an alkaline electrolyte retained by the positive electrode plate, the negative electrode plate, and the separator, wherein the separator has a large number of pores, such that a total volume A of the pores (per unit mass; cm/g) is in the range of 1&#x2266;A&#x2266;5, and the ratio of the volume B of pores having a diameter of 100 &#x3bc;m or more (per unit mass; cm/g) to the total pore volume A is in the range of 7%&#x2266;B/A&#x2266;20% (i.e., B/A is between 0.07 and 0.2).

Alkaline storage battery having a separator with pores

An electrode plate for an alkaline storage battery of the present invention includes a conductive core material as a current collector, in which a plurality of through-holes are linearly provided in the core material so as to be parallel to a longitudinal direction of the core material, each through-hole having an aperture area of 10 mmor less and at least two pairs of opposite sides parallel to each other.

Electrode plate for alkaline storage battery and alkaline storage battery using the same

A separator for an alkaline storage battery includes a plurality of polyolefin resins. The polyolefin resins include a first polyolefin resin that is sulfonated, and a second polyolefin resin that is sulfonated. The degree of sulfonation of the first polyolefin resin is different from that of the second polyolefin resin. Thus, a novel separator having high liquid retention properties and high air permeability, and an alkaline storage battery using the same can be obtained.

Separator for alkaline storage battery and alkaline storage battery using the same

In a fluid transmission system with a lock-up clutch including a plurality of first transmitting claws provided in a clutch piston and inserted between adjacent damper springs, and a plurality of second transmitting claws provided in a turbine impeller and inserted between the adjacent damper springs to oppose the first transmitting claws, the plurality of second transmitting claws are welded to the turbine impeller in a separated and independent manner. Thus, the second transmitting claws can be fabricated with a good yield, and are applicable commonly to various fluid transmission systems of different specifications, leading to a remarkable reduction in cost.

Fluid transmission system with lock-up clutch

An alkaline storage battery having excellent self-discharge characteristics even after a number of charge-discharge cycles is provided. The alkaline storage battery is provided with a case and an electrode group enclosed in the case, and a separator that is included in the electrode group retains at least 15 mg/cm of an electrolyte at least in a period after assembling the battery, from the time the separator is impregnated with the electrolyte to the time the battery is activated.

A one-way clutch includes poles and springs accommodated in pockets defined in an inner peripheral surface of an outer race. The poles are urged toward an outer peripheral surface of the inner race by resilient forces of the springs, thereby inhibiting the relative rotation of the inner race and the outer race relative to each other in one direction, and permitting the relative rotation of the inner race and the outer race relative to each other in the other direction. Each of the poles has a partially columnar support projection, and an engage portion comprising a convex curved surface. The support projection is swingably supported in and substantially in face contact with a partially columnar support recess defined in the pocket. The engage portion is in line contact with the outer peripheral surface of the inner race comprising the columnar surface.

When an assembly in which a sprag is temporarily assembled to a retainer by a return spring is assembled between an outer race and an inner race, even if the sprag projecting from the retainer is depressed, a drop-out of the sprag is prevented by a retaining member of a friction plate fixed to the end portion of the retainer. A lubrication passage is formed by opening a space surrounded by the outer race, retainer, and sprag to the outer peripheral side. An attaching member of the friction plate which is fixed to the retainer by a spot welding is recessed backward by joggling in a downward stairway manner for a contact surface. Therefore, even if a rise occurs in the attaching member by the welding, the rise is not come into contact with the contact surface. A corner edge is formed in a spherical shape in a manner such that when the corner edge of each of the frictional members divisionally formed on the outer periphery of the friction plate is dropped into a rivet hole of the attaching surface and, when it comes out from the rivet hole, the corner edge does not thrust into the periphery of the hole.

Growing community of inventors

Kosai, Japan

Naoto Sato