Patents Assigned to HITACHI-JOHNSON CONTROLS AIR CONDITIONING, INC.
  • Patent number: 10662934
    Abstract: An electric compressor is provided which has: in a sealed container, a compression mechanism to compress a refrigerant and an electric motor to drive the compression mechanism, wherein the refrigerant contains 20% by mass or more of hydrofluoroolefin, and a refrigerator oil stored in the sealed container contains; polyvinyl ether as a base oil; an alicyclic epoxy compound in an amount of 0.1% by mass or more and 2.0% by mass or less relative to the base oil; an aliphatic epoxy compound in an amount of 0.1% by mass or more and 2.0% by mass or less relative to the base oil; and tertiary phosphate in an amount of 0.1% by mass or more and 2.0% by mass or less relative to the base oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryou Oota, Hiroyuki Akata, Yasutaka Yoshida, Koji Naito, Hideyuki Ueda
  • Patent number: 10651774
    Abstract: An inverter, motor drive device and freezing device, with which it is possible to effectively suppress current beats in the event of over-modulation without requiring additional circuits. This motor driving device includes: a rectifier circuit that converts the AC voltage from an AC power supply into a DC voltage; a smoothing capacitor that smoothes the DC voltage output from the rectifier circuit; an inverter circuit that converts the DC voltage output from the smoothing capacitor into an AC voltage; and a controller that reduces the current beat component by estimating, using a phase locked loop process, the frequency, phase and amplitude of the current beat component in the output current of the inverter circuit, and corrects the voltage command to the inverter circuit on the basis of the estimated frequency, phase and amplitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Dongsheng Li, Yasuo Notohara, Yuuji Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10612797
    Abstract: The present invention provides an outdoor unit for an air conditioner that can be constructed at low cost while reducing risk of malfunction. The outdoor unit has a compressor; a fan motor; a compressor driver board having a compressor inverter circuit and a compressor driver circuit; and a fan driver board having a fan inverter circuit and fan driver circuit. The compressor driver board has at least either: a shared control circuit that feeds a first switching signal for a compressor to the compressor driver circuit and feeds a second switching signal for a fan to the fan driver circuit; or a shared power source circuit that steps down a first DC voltage to a second DC voltage and supplies the second DC voltage to the compressor driver circuit and to the fan driver circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Takayuki Hashimoto, Takashi Ooishi, Shin Miura, Rei Kasahara
  • Patent number: 10608570
    Abstract: A boosting operation of a converter and the intermittent energization operation of an inverter are optimally performed in accordant with input or output. The power converter includes the converter capable of boosting a DC voltage outputted by switching operation alternately performing shorting and rectification; the inverter; an inverter capable of performing intermittent energization in which switching around zero cross of a motor current is turned off upon converting the DC voltage outputted by the converter into three-phase AC power; and a controller that controls the converter to perform boosting operation and the inverter to perform the boosting operation of the converter and the intermittent energization operation of the inverter linkingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoji Ogura, Kazuhiro Ueta, Kenji Tamura, Wataru Hatsuse
  • Patent number: 10594239
    Abstract: A motor drive that enables the elimination of distortion of a motor current caused by direct current voltage ripples with the use of a smoothing capacitor having a small capacity and refrigeration equipment. A motor drive includes a rectifier circuit, a smoothing capacitor, voltage detector, an inverter circuit, current sensor, and a controller configured to control the inverter circuit. The controller has a voltage controller configured to generate a voltage command value used for controlling the motor, a ripple frequency arithmetic unit configured to operate a ripple frequency included in the direct current voltage signal, and a harmonic suppressor configured to process a signal based on the direct current signal using an S controller having a gain near the ripple frequency and output a corrected amount. The inverter circuit is controlled based on a signal that the voltage command value is corrected using the corrected amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Dongsheng Li, Ken Kishita
  • Patent number: 10591192
    Abstract: There are provided a heat exchange apparatus and an air conditioner in which an occurrence of uneven refrigerant distribution of a heat exchanger is reduced such that heat exchange performance improves. The heat exchange apparatus includes: a heat-transfer pipe through which a refrigerant flows; a heat exchanger in which a plurality of the heat-transfer pipes are connected to one another; a distributor that distributes the refrigerant to the plurality of heat-transfer pipes; an inflow pipe that causes the refrigerant to flow into the distributor; and a confluent pipe which is connected to an intermediate position of the inflow pipe and in which the refrigerant flowing through an inside thereof is to merge with the refrigerant flowing through an inside of the inflow pipe. A merging part between the inflow pipe and the confluent pipe is positioned in the vicinity of the distributor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Atsuhiko Yokozeki, Hiroaki Tsuboe, Yoshiharu Tsukada, Yuki Arai
  • Patent number: 10584744
    Abstract: A refrigerant compressor includes a compression mechanism portion, a drive portion, a crankshaft, a main bearing and an auxiliary bearing that support the crankshaft, and a sealed container that accommodates therein the compression mechanism portion, the drive portion, the crankshaft, the main bearing, and the auxiliary bearing. The auxiliary bearing is configured of an antifriction bearing and provided in an auxiliary bearing housing attached to the sealed container. The auxiliary bearing housing includes an opening for inserting the auxiliary bearing on the drive portion side, and includes a housing cover covering the opening. An insulating sleeve configured of an insulating material is provided between the crankshaft and the auxiliary bearing. The insulating sleeve includes a cylinder portion located between the crankshaft and the auxiliary bearing, and a flange portion located between the auxiliary bearing and the housing cover and extended in an outer diameter direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuko Kozuma, Yasuaki Iizuka, Mutsunori Matsunaga, Masaru Ohtahara
  • Patent number: 10570323
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigerant composition as a mixed refrigerant containing refrigerant components of difluoromethane (HFC32), pentafluoroethane (HFC125), and hexafluoropropene (FO1216). The makeup of the refrigerant components in the mixed refrigerant is configured such that a global warming potential (GWP) is 750 or less, a vapor pressure at 25° C. is in a range of 1.4 to 1.8 MPa, and a flame retardant parameter Fmix represented by formula (1) below is 0.46 or more. Fmix=?iFixi??(1) Here, Fmix indicates a flame retardant parameter of the refrigerant composition, Fi indicates a flame retardant parameter of each of the refrigerant components, and xi indicates a molar fraction of each of the refrigerant components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryo Ota, Koji Naito, Yasutaka Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10571178
    Abstract: An air conditioner is provided that reduces user discomfort due to vibrations and noises at a compressor, piping, and the like such as of an air conditioner. To achieve this, an air conditioner includes: a compressor (10) that has a motor (12) and a compression mechanism (14) driven by the motor (12); a speed detector (43) that detects a rotation speed of the motor (12); a drive mode controller (48) that controls a drive mode of the motor (12); and refrigerant piping that is connected to the compression mechanism (14) and allows a refrigerant to flow therethrough, wherein the drive mode controller (48), for stopping the motor (12), decelerates the motor (12) to a rotation speed equal to or lower than a resonance frequency between the compression mechanism (14) and the refrigerant piping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Tsukii, Yoji Ogura, Kazuhiro Ueta
  • Patent number: 10557654
    Abstract: An collective device for switching refrigerant flow arranged between an indoor device and an outdoor device is provided; which includes multiple high-pressure valves; multiple low-pressure valves; a high-pressure header; a low-pressure header; a high-pressure gas pipe connecting each high-pressure valve and the high-pressure header; and a low-pressure gas pipe connecting each low-pressure valve and the low-pressure header, wherein the multiple high-pressure valves are arranged next to each other in a first direction perpendicular to a vertical direction, the multiple low-pressure valves are arranged next to each other in the first direction, and the low-pressure valves, the low-pressure header, and the low-pressure gas pipe are arranged on one side in a second direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the first direction with respect to the high-pressure valves, the high-pressure header, and the high-pressure gas pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazunori Fukuda, Koji Naito, Kazuhiro Tsuchihashi
  • Patent number: 10557652
    Abstract: A heat exchanger is provided which has: multiple flat heat transfer pipes configured such that refrigerant for heat exchange with air flowing inside; and a fin having a heat exchange surface between adjacent ones of the heat transfer pipes, wherein the multiple heat transfer pipes are arranged such that flat portions of the heat transfer pipes face each other, the fin has one end and other end in an air flow direction, and a first rib formed vertically above the flat portion, and the first rib has an extension portion extending along the flat portion, and an enlarged portion configured such that a distance to the flat portion gradually increases from the extension portion in a direction of one end side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Daiwa Sato, Shigeyuki Sasaki, Ryoichi Takafuji
  • Patent number: 10557648
    Abstract: A cooling/heating switching unit includes first to third fittings, expansion valves and expansion-valve driving sections, a housing, a heat insulating material, and a refrigerant leak detection sensor. The first and second fittings respectively connect with a high/low-pressure-gas main pipe and a low-pressure-gas main pipe, which are linked to an outdoor unit. The third fitting connects with an indoor-unit connection pipe, which is linked to indoor units. The expansion valve for high/low-pressure-gas pipe, the expansion valve for low-pressure-gas pipe, and expansion-valve driving sections selectively connect the first or second fitting with the third fitting via a refrigerant pipe to control a flow direction of refrigerant. The housing houses the refrigerant pipe. The heat insulating material fills inside of the housing to insulate the refrigerant pipe arranged inside of the housing from heat. The refrigerant leak detection sensor is installed outside of the housing to detect leaked refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Naito, Naoyuki Fushimi, Kazumoto Urata, Gen Yasuda, Kazunori Fukuda
  • Patent number: 10533757
    Abstract: A fan includes a fan member, a motor that drives to rotate the fan member, and a rotating shaft that is connected to the fan via a vibration prevention member and transmits a turning force of the motor to the fan. The vibration prevention member is an elastic member that connects an inner cylinder made of metal included in the rotating shaft and an outer cylinder made of metal included in the fan member. At least one of an outer circumferential section of the inner cylinder and an inner circumferential section of the outer cylinder is configured in a polygonal shape when viewed from the rotating shaft direction. A turning force received by the vibration prevention member acts as compression stress on an adhesion interface between a vibration prevention material and metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Hideshi Obara, Koji Yonekura, Hiroyasu Yoneyama
  • Patent number: 10533783
    Abstract: An air conditioner including an outdoor device that includes a bypass path connecting a discharge side of the compressor and a suction side of the compressor, an on-off valve configured to open/close the bypass path, and a control device configured to control the compressor, the decompression device, and the on-off valve. The control device opens the on-off valve in a state in which the compressor is stopped to execute such bypass opening that refrigerant circulates, through the bypass path, from the discharge side of the compressor in a refrigerant storage state in which refrigerant is stored to the suction side of the compressor in a substantially vacuum state, and evaluates a volume of the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Xue, Koji Naito, Atsuhiko Yokozeki
  • Patent number: 10533555
    Abstract: A scroll compressor has: a revolving scroll; a fixed scroll; a compression chamber that is defined by the revolving scroll and the fixed scroll to compress a working fluid; a suction chamber that is defined by the revolving scroll and the fixed scroll to suck the compressed working fluid; an electric motor that drives the revolving scroll; a bypass mechanism that communicates or shuts off between the compression chamber and the suction chamber; and a sealed vessel, wherein the bypass mechanism has: a bypass port that is formed in the fixed scroll and communicates between the compression chamber and the suction chamber; and a bypass valve that opens and closes the bypass port, and wherein a groove is formed in the revolving lap to communicate between the bypass port and a suction pressure space when the bypass port is open.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryota Iijima, Kazumi Tamura
  • Patent number: 10527299
    Abstract: An outdoor unit for an air conditioner, and an air conditioner are provided that allow for effectively cooling a cooled part such as a power element, even when a refrigerant is not circulated, to prevent the part from being damaged by generated heat. Said outdoor unit and said air conditioner each include: a casing; a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a refrigerant flowing therein and air; a blower fan that sucks air outside the casing and forces the air to pass through the heat exchanger; an electric parts box that has a board and a part to be cooled; and a cooling member that is thermally connected with said part and cools it with a refrigerant flowing therein, wherein the cooling member is arranged on an outer wall surface of the electric parts box in a path of the air blown by the blower fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Takayuki Hashimoto, Takashi Ooishi, Masayoshi Murofushi
  • Patent number: 10527322
    Abstract: Provided is a air conditioner including high-and-low-pressure gas pipe expansion valves each of which is provided to a corresponding one of the cooling-heating switching units and adjusts feeding of high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant to the corresponding indoor unit; and a refrigeration cycle controller which adjusts a valve opening degree of the high-and-low-pressure gas pipe expansion valve of the cooling-heating switching unit connected to one of the indoor units which is not in heating operation, in accordance with a determination result on excess or deficiency of refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Naito, Kazumoto Urata, Kazuhiko Tani, Masayoshi Murofushi, Gen Yasuda
  • Patent number: 10473356
    Abstract: An indoor unit of an air conditioner includes a guide member provided below an air discharge port of a blower fan and upstream of the heat exchanger. The guide member has a guide portion disposed to face an end surface upstream of the heat exchanger, and the guide portion is a plate body whose cross-section has a linear shape parallel to the end surface when cut along a plane including a rotation axis of the blower fan. Thus, provided is the indoor unit of the air conditioner capable of more uniformly guiding air from the blower fan in a height direction of the heat exchanger by the compact and inexpensive guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Fumihiro Kato, Naoki Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 10473353
    Abstract: A hot gas bypass circuit that connects a discharge side of the compressor and a portion between the heat source side heat exchanger and the expansion valve, an on-off valve that opens and closes a channel of the hot gas bypass circuit, and a control device performing control to select one of hot gas bypass defrosting and reverse cycle defrosting according to a frosting amount on the heat source side heat exchanger and perform defrosting. The control device controls to open the on-off valve of the hot gas bypass circuit such that a part of a refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the heat source side heat exchanger via the hot gas bypass circuit and, the control device switches switch the four-way valve such that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is supplied to the heat source side heat exchanger after passing through the four-way valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Tani, Koji Naito, Tatsuya Mochida, Kazumoto Urata, Yoshiyuki Akiyama, Masami Inaba
  • Patent number: 10415842
    Abstract: Provided is an outdoor unit for an air conditioner and the like that provide notification of whether maintenance is needed for an outdoor heat exchange unit in appropriate timing. The outdoor unit for the air conditioner includes: a compressor; an outdoor heat exchange unit through which a refrigerant flows by driving of the compressor; an outdoor fan that includes an outdoor fan motor and is installed near the outdoor heat exchange unit; and a control unit that provides notification of whether maintenance is needed for the outdoor heat exchange unit based on an airflow resistance during an outdoor air-sending operation in which the outdoor fan is driven to send outdoor air into the outdoor heat exchange unit while the compressor is stopped. This makes it possible to provide the notification of whether the maintenance is needed for the outdoor heat exchange unit in appropriate timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuaki Nagahashi, Koji Naito, Hayato Mori