Patents by Inventor Akihiro Eguchi

Akihiro Eguchi 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).

  • Publication number: 20240112509
    Abstract: A vehicle is a vehicle that is equipped with an illumination device in a vehicle cabin and that is capable of traveling in an EV mode, the vehicle being configured to change a manner of luminescence of the illumination device when the vehicle enters a low emission zone (LEZ) where the vehicle needs to travel in the EV mode, and to cause a driver to perceive the entrance. For the change in the manner of the luminescence, for example, the color of the luminescence of the illumination device may be changed from a regular color to a specific color. By the change in the manner of the luminescence of the illumination device, it is possible to cause the driver to sensorily recognize the entrance to the low emission zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasunori WAKAMATSU, Masatoshi ISHINO, Yuuki ARAI, Takafumi EGUCHI, Akihiro KUSADA
  • Patent number: 11585568
    Abstract: A drainage mechanism is connected to a drain pump that sucks water from a drain pan. The drainage mechanism includes a connecting part that connects to the drain pump, a first flow path, a folded part, and a second flow path. The first flow path extends upward from the connecting part. The folded part has a first end connected to an upper end of the first flow path and a second end on a side opposite to the first end. The folded part changes a direction of the water flowing therein from upward to downward. The second flow path extends from the second end. The second flow path is a pipe that has an inner diameter of 13 mm or less. The flow path area of the folded part is larger than the flow path area of the second flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Keita Kitagawa, Hiromune Matsuoka, Akihiro Eguchi, Yoshito Matsuda, Tarou Yasumatsu, Takayoshi Yamamoto, Tsunehisa Sanagi, Seisuke Itou
  • Publication number: 20220221189
    Abstract: A drainage mechanism is connected to a drain pump that sucks water from a drain pan. The drainage mechanism includes a connecting part that connects to the drain pump, a first flow path, a folded part, and a second flow path. The first flow path extends upward from the connecting part. The folded part has a first end connected to an upper end of the first flow path and a second end on a side opposite to the first end. The folded part changes a direction of the water flowing therein from upward to downward. The second flow path extends from the second end. The second flow path is a pipe that has an inner diameter of 13 mm or less. The flow path area of the folded part is larger than the flow path area of the second flow path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2022
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Keita Kitagawa, Hiromune Matsuoka, Akihiro Eguchi, Yoshito Matsuda, Tarou Yasumatsu, Takayoshi Yamamoto, Tsunehisa Sanagi, Seisuke Itou
  • Patent number: 9903604
    Abstract: A humidity control and ventilation device includes: a determiner determining that another ventilation device has turned on, if at least one of an increasing variation in the rotation speed of the air supply fan and an increasing variation in the rotation speed of the exhaust fan exceeds a corresponding one of predetermined values while the air supply fan and the exhaust fan are under the constant airflow rate control; and an air-flow-rate controller decreasing one of the rotation speed of the air supply fan or the rotation speed of the exhaust fan if the determiner determines that the ventilation device is on, such that a total air supply rate and a total air exhaust rate in the ventilation target space are balanced with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Eguchi, Gakuto Sakai
  • Patent number: 9874368
    Abstract: A refrigerant channel switching unit is disposed between a heat source unit and a utilization unit to switch flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant channel switching unit includes a first refrigerant pipe connected to a suction gas communicating pipe, a second refrigerant pipe connected to a high-low pressure gas communicating pipe, third and fourth refrigerant pipes, and first and second electric valves mounted to the first and second refrigerant pipes, respectively. The third refrigerant pipe is connected to the first and second refrigerant pipes and a gas pipe. The fourth refrigerant pipe is connected at ends to a liquid communicating pipe and a liquid pipe. A minute channel is formed in the first or second electric valve. The minute channel enables the refrigerant to flow through the minute channel even when an opening degree of the valve is set to be the lowest degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Eguchi, Shigeki Kamitani
  • Patent number: 9651283
    Abstract: A refrigerant channel switching unit is disposed between a heat source unit and a utilization unit to switch flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant channel switching unit includes a first refrigerant pipe connected to a suction gas communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit, a second refrigerant pipe connected to a high-low pressure gas communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit, a third refrigerant pipe connected to a gas pipe extending to the utilization unit, a coupling portion, a first switch valve mounted to the first refrigerant pipe, and a second switch valve mounted to the second refrigerant pipe. The coupling portion is connected to the first, second and third refrigerant pipes. The First second and third are coupled through the coupling portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Eguchi, Shigeki Kamitani
  • Publication number: 20170089623
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigerant channel switching unit including a unit case having a case body and an electrical component box attached to the case body, and a channel switching valve housed in the unit case. The electrical component box is attachable to the case body at a first position, where the electrical component box blocks one of faces of the case body entirely, and a second position, where a maintenance opening is formed in a part of the one face of the unit case. The electrical component box may be retained temporarily at the second position so as to facilitate the maintenance of the channel switching valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeki KAMITANI, Akihiro EGUCHI, Daiki KURITA
  • Patent number: 9605862
    Abstract: An aggregated channel switching unit is disposed between a heat source unit and a plurality of utilization units to switch flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The aggregated channel switching unit including a plurality of first refrigerant pipes having switch valves, a plurality of second refrigerant pipes, and a casing accommodating the first and second pipes. The first and second pipes are aggregated as an assembly. The first pipes are connected to a high-low pressure gas communicating pipe and a suction gas communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit. The second refrigerant pipes are connected to a liquid communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit and a liquid pipe extending to the utilization units. Adjacent pairs of the first and second pipes extend approximately in parallel to each other at predetermined intervals in the assembly. The first and second pipes are alternately disposed in the assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Eguchi, Shigeki Kamitani
  • Publication number: 20160377332
    Abstract: A refrigerant channel switching unit is disposed between a heat source unit and a utilization unit to switch flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant channel switching unit includes a first refrigerant pipe connected to a suction gas communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit, a second refrigerant pipe connected to a high-low pressure gas communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit, a third refrigerant pipe connected to a gas pipe extending to the utilization unit, a coupling portion, a first switch valve mounted to the first refrigerant pipe, and a second switch valve mounted to the second refrigerant pipe. The coupling portion is connected to the first, second and third refrigerant pipes. The first second and third are coupled through the coupling portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Akihiro EGUCHI, Shigeki KAMITANI
  • Publication number: 20160356516
    Abstract: An aggregated channel switching unit is disposed between a heat source unit and a plurality of utilization units to switch flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The aggregated channel switching unit including a plurality of first refrigerant pipes having switch valves, a plurality of second refrigerant pipes, and a casing accommodating the first and second pipes. The first and second pipes are aggregated as an assembly. The first pipes are connected to a high-low pressure gas communicating pipe and a suction gas communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit. The second refrigerant pipes are connected to a liquid communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit and a liquid pipe extending to the utilization units. Adjacent pairs of the first and second pipes extend approximately in parallel to each other at predetermined intervals in the assembly. The first and second pipes are alternately disposed in the assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Akihiro EGUCHI, Shigeki KAMITANI
  • Publication number: 20160305680
    Abstract: A refrigerant channel switching unit is disposed between a heat source unit and a utilization unit to switch flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant channel switching unit includes a first refrigerant pipe connected to a suction gas communicating pipe, a second refrigerant pipe connected to a high-low pressure gas communicating pipe, third and fourth refrigerant pipes, and first and second electric valves mounted to the first and second refrigerant pipes, respectively. The third refrigerant pipe is connected to the first and second refrigerant pipes and a gas pipe. The fourth refrigerant pipe is connected at ends to a liquid communicating pipe and a liquid pipe. A minute channel is formed in the first or second electric valve. The minute channel enables the refrigerant to flow through the minute channel even when an opening degree of the valve is set to be the lowest degree.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventors: Akihiro EGUCHI, Shigeki KAMITANI
  • Patent number: 9470427
    Abstract: A humidity control apparatus performs a humidification operation in which outdoor air is supplied to the inside of a room through a moisture-desorption adsorption heat exchanger serving as a condenser and room air is discharged to the outside through a moisture-absorption adsorption heat exchanger serving as an evaporator. The humidity control apparatus includes a preheat heat exchanger which, in the humidification operation, is positioned upstream of the moisture-desorption adsorption heat exchanger in the flow of outdoor air in an air passage and serves as a condenser to heat outdoor air in a refrigerant circuit, and a heat-recovery heat exchanger which, in the humidification operation, is positioned downstream of the moisture-absorption adsorption heat exchanger in the flow of room air in the air passage and serves as an evaporator to recover heat from room air in the refrigerant circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Gakuto Sakai, Akihiro Eguchi, Tomohiro Yabu
  • Patent number: 9441844
    Abstract: An on-off valve and a bypass pipe which bypasses the on-off valve are connected to an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe of a humidity control circuit. A pressure-reducing valve is connected to the bypass pipe. Before switching a four-way valve, a degree of opening of the pressure-reducing valve is reduced to reduce a pressure difference between high and low pressure in the humidity control circuit. After that, the on-off valve is closed for pressure equalization between the high and low pressure in the humidity control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Eguchi, Gakuto Sakai
  • Patent number: 9297544
    Abstract: There is provided a humidification device capable of performing humidification in as short a time as possible when an indoor humidity is low. A humidification device includes operation control means for selecting either a humidification priority mode or a normal operation mode based on a predetermined condition to operate the humidification device, and fans that can adjust airflow rates, and generates airflow passing through a condenser and an evaporator, wherein operation in the humidification priority mode is operation in which the airflow rates of the fans are decreased, as compared with operation in the normal operation mode, by which desorption of moisture from an adsorbent of the condenser and collection of moisture by an adsorbent of the evaporator are promoted, as compared with operation in the normal operation mode, so that humidification is given priority over ventilation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Gakuto Sakai, Akihiro Eguchi
  • Patent number: 9228753
    Abstract: A ventilation system includes a connection determinator configured to determine that N-th, second, and sixth humidity controlling ventilation devices are connected to an identical second duct bank in a situation where when fans of the second and sixth humidity controlling ventilation devices are driven, and the rotational speed of a fan of the N-th humidity controlling ventilation device is changed, a power detector detects fluctuations in the power consumed by the fan of each of the second and sixth humidity controlling ventilation devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Gakuto Sakai, Akihiro Eguchi, Tomohiro Yabu
  • Patent number: 9228751
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a humidity controlling ventilator which takes in air through the use of an air blowing fan, and controls the humidity of the taken air via an adsorption heat exchanger prior to supplying it to the room. In the invention, the air blowing fan is controlled so as to make an air volume flow rate approach a predetermined target volume flow rate. To do this, the invention calculates the fan's air volume flow rate based on a specific volume of air downstream of the adsorption heat exchanger and an air mass flow rate of the fan. The calculated value is fed to an air blow controller that is configured to control the fan such that the calculated air volume flow rate approaches the predetermined target air volume flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Gakuto Sakai, Akihiro Eguchi, Tomohiro Yabu
  • Publication number: 20150300665
    Abstract: There is provided a humidification device capable of performing humidification in as short a time as possible when an indoor humidity is low. A humidification device includes operation control means for selecting either a humidification priority mode or a normal operation mode based on a predetermined condition to operate the humidification device, and fans that can adjust airflow rates, and generates airflow passing through a condenser and an evaporator, wherein operation in the humidification priority mode is operation in which the airflow rates of the fans are decreased, as compared with operation in the normal operation mode, by which desorption of moisture from an adsorbent of the condenser and collection of moisture by an adsorbent of the evaporator are promoted, as compared with operation in the normal operation mode, so that humidification is given priority over ventilation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Gakuto SAKAI, Akihiro EGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20150253018
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to enhance maintenability of a humidity control device, and the like. There is provided a humidity control device that dehumidifies one of outdoor air and indoor air and humidifies the other in adsorption heat exchangers (31, 32), and then supplies the outdoor air to an inside of a room, and exhausts the indoor air to an outside of the room, the device including casings (11A, 11B), a refrigerant circuit (12) having the adsorption heat exchangers (31, 32), a compressor (27), a switching mechanism (26) of a circulation direction of a refrigerant, and refrigerant pipes (29), fans (34, 35), and an electric component unit (15), wherein the casings (11) include a first casing (11A) in which the fans (34, 35), the switching mechanism (26), and the electric component unit (15) are arranged, and a second casing (11B) in which the adsorption heat exchangers (31, 32) are arranged, and the first casing (11A) and the second casing (11B) are mutually connected through ducts (D5, D6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Eguchi, Gakuto Sakai
  • Publication number: 20150241076
    Abstract: A humidity control and ventilation device includes: a determiner determining that another ventilation device has turned on, if at least one of an increasing variation in the rotation speed of the air supply fan and an increasing variation in the rotation speed of the exhaust fan exceeds a corresponding one of predetermined values while the air supply fan and the exhaust fan are under the constant airflow rate control; and an air-flow-rate controller decreasing one of the rotation speed of the air supply fan or the rotation speed of the exhaust fan if the determiner determines that the ventilation device is on, such that a total air supply rate and a total air exhaust rate in the ventilation target space are balanced with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Eguchi, Gakuto Sakai
  • Publication number: 20150027680
    Abstract: An on-off valve and a bypass pipe which bypasses the on-off valve are connected to an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe of a humidity control circuit. A pressure-reducing valve is connected to the bypass pipe. Before switching a four-way valve, a degree of opening of the pressure-reducing valve is reduced to reduce a pressure difference between high and low pressure in the humidity control circuit. After that, the on-off valve is closed for pressure equalization between the high and low pressure in the humidity control circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Eguchi, Gakuto Sakai