Patents by Inventor Junichi Shimoda

Junichi Shimoda 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).

  • Patent number: 9335071
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus includes a compressor, indoor and outdoor heat exchangers, an indoor fan, an expansion valve, a refrigerant-pressure-perceiving part, which perceives a pressure of refrigerant sent from the compressor to the indoor heat exchanger, and a control part, which performs startup fan control in which the indoor fan remains stopped until the compressor goes from being at rest to starting up and the pressure perceived reaches a high-pressure threshold. The control part repeats an action of reducing a flow rate of the indoor fan or stopping driving of the indoor fan when the pressure perceived is equal to or less than a low-pressure lower than the high-pressure threshold, and an action of increasing the flow rate of the indoor fan or initiating driving of the indoor fan when the pressure perceived reaches or exceeds a pressure threshold which is higher than the low-pressure threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidehiko Kinoshita, Tsuyoshi Yamada, Junichi Shimoda, Kenta Fujiwara
  • Publication number: 20150362199
    Abstract: Art air conditioning apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit having a compressor, a radiator, an upstream side expansion valve, a receiver, a downstream side expansion valve, an evaporator, and a receiver gas vent pipe. Gas vent control is performed so that gas refrigerant is led from a receiver to the suction side of a compressor via a receiver gas vent pipe by opening a receiver gas vent valve. Upstream side expansion valve subcooling control is performed so that the opening of an upstream side expansion valve is changed such that the subcooling of refrigerant is set to target subcooling at the outlet of a radiator. Downstream side expansion valve suction wetting control is performed so that the opening of a downstream side expansion valve is changed such that refrigerant is in a wetting state and the dryness is set to target dryness at the outlet of an evaporator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshiaki YUMOTO, Yukako KANAZAWA, Keitarou HOSHIKA, Junichi SHIMODA
  • Publication number: 20150059377
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus has a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a four-way switching valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger are interconnected. The outdoor heat exchanger uses multi-hole flat tubes as heat transfer tubes. When stopping a heating operation, the air conditioning apparatus performs pressure equalization control that switches the four-way switching valve from a heating cycle state to a cooling cycle state, thereafter stops the compressor, and equalizes the pressure in the refrigerant circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2013
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Yukako Kanazawa, Junichi Shimoda, Tatsuya Makino
  • Publication number: 20150052923
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes an outdoor fan and a refrigerant circuit having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger connected to each other. An expansion valve refrigerant discharge control, in which the compressor is driven in a state where the outdoor fan is stopped and the expansion valve is open, is performed when a cooling start noise reduction condition that a state of refrigerant at inlet and outlet ports of the expansion valve is in a one-phase liquid state is satisfied when starting the cooling operation. An expansion valve normal switching control, in which an opening of the expansion valve is reduced and an operating frequency of the compressor is increased, is performed after the expansion valve refrigerant discharge control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2013
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Yukako Kanazawa, Junichi Shimoda, Tatsuya Makino
  • Publication number: 20150041101
    Abstract: An outdoor unit a refrigeration apparatus includes an aluminum or aluminum alloy heat exchanger, an aluminum or aluminum alloy bracket having a securing portion attached directly to the heat exchanger and a fixing portion with a through hole used to fix the bracket to a non-aluminum metal structural part, a non-metal component interposed between the fixing portion of the bracket and the structural part to create a non-contact state, a non-aluminum metal anchoring part, and an anchored structure cooperating with the anchoring part to fasten a fixing portion of the bracket to the structural part via the non-metal component. The anchoring part has an outer shape smaller than the through hole in the fixing portion. The non-metal component maintains, in astute in which the anchoring part is passing through the through hole in the fixing portion, a non-contact state between the bracket and the anchoring part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventors: Keitarou Hoshika, Takashi Ono, Hiroki Andou, Tomohiro Masui, Masashi Kuroishi, Satoshi Itou, Junichi Shimoda
  • Publication number: 20140374078
    Abstract: An outdoor unit of a refrigeration apparatus includes a heat exchanger constructed of aluminum or aluminum alloy, a floor frame supporting the heat exchanger, and a spacer disposed between the heat exchanger and the floor frame. The heat exchanger has a plurality of flat pipes, a header manifold connected to the flat pipes, and a plurality of fins joined to the flat pipes. Heat exchange occurs between a fluid flowing inside the flat pipes and air flowing outside the flat pipes. The spacer has an inclined surface and a horizontal surface. The inclined surface guides condensation from the heat exchanger to the floor frame. The horizontal surface contacts the heat exchanger and the heat exchanger is horizontally mounted on the horizontal surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Takashi Ono, Tomohiro Masui, Keitarou Hoshika, Hiroki Andou, Masashi Kuroishi, Satoshi Itou, Junichi Shimoda
  • Publication number: 20140374062
    Abstract: An outdoor unit of a refrigeration apparatus includes a heat exchanger constructed of aluminum or aluminum alloy, a floor frame, and a cap. The heat exchanger has a plurality of flat pipes arranged in rows so as to face a side face, a header manifold connected to each of the flat pipes, and a plurality of fins joined to the flat so that an exchange of heat occurs between a fluid flowing inside the flat pipes and air flowing outside the fiat pipes. The heat exchanger is mounted on the floor frame. The cap covers a lower end part of the header manifold from below the header manifold. The cap has a first drainage structure arranged so that if there is a gap between the header manifold and the cap water that has entered the cap via the gap drains out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Takashi Ono, Keitarou Hoshika, Tomohiro Masui, Takuya Kazusa, Junichi Shimoda
  • Publication number: 20140360223
    Abstract: In an air-conditioning apparatus, refrigerant flows sequentially through a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, expansion mechanisms, and an indoor heat exchanger during a cooling operation, and refrigerant flows sequentially through the compressor, the indoor heat exchanger, the expansion mechanisms, and the outdoor heat exchanger during a heating operation. Capacity of the outdoor heat exchanger is 30% to 90% of the indoor heat exchanger. The expansion mechanisms include an upstream-side and downstream-side expansion mechanisms depressurizing refrigerant from high to intermediate pressure, and from intermediate to low pressure in the refrigerant cycle, respectively. The refrigerant is R32. A refrigerant storage tank that stores the intermediate pressure refrigerant is provided between the upstream-side and downstream side expansion mechanisms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Takayuki Setoguchi, Keisuke Tanimoto, Noriyuki Okuda, Takamune Okui, Junichi Shimoda, Tsuyoshi Yamada
  • Publication number: 20140318165
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger, and a controller for executing a pump down operation. The outdoor unit has an accumulator of a capacity (Va), a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, a large-diameter tube, which are joined by refrigerant pipes. The capacity (Vhi) of the indoor heat exchanger is greater than the capacity (Vho) of the outdoor heat exchanger. The large-diameter tube, which is larger in diameter than the refrigerant pipes, is provided so that the capacity (Vt) of the large-diameter tube satisfies the formula: capacity (Vt)>capacity (Vhi)?capacity (Vho)?capacity (Va).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: Yukako Kanazawa, Junichi Shimoda, Tatsuya Mamkino, Shouhei Miyatani, Toshihiko Takayama
  • Patent number: 8806876
    Abstract: An air conditioner (10) composed of a refrigerating apparatus includes a controller (90). A heating control section (91) of the controller (90) feeds electric current in an open phase state to an electric motor (62) of a compressor (30) to heat the compressor (30) in operation stop of the air conditioner (10). The heating control section (91) monitors the detection value of an outdoor air temperature sensor (72) during the operation stop of the air conditioner (10) and keeps on stopping feeding the electric current to the electric motor (62) during the time when the detection value decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Shimoda, Hidehiko Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 8707719
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a refrigerant circuit, a switching valve, an outdoor fan and a controller. The refrigerant circuit sequentially circulates refrigerant through a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, a decompression mechanism and an outdoor heat exchanger during a heating operation. The switching valve is connected to the refrigerant circuit to switch a flow direction of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor. The controller executes a defrosting operation control in which the outdoor fan is deactivated and the switching valve directs refrigerant discharged from the compressor towards the outdoor heat exchanger during a defrosting operation. The controller further maintains the switching valve so refrigerant discharged from the compressor is directed towards the outdoor heat exchanger and executes a fan defrosting operation control in which the outdoor fan is rotated for a predetermined period of time after completion of the defrosting operation when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Yamada, Tetsuya Ogasawara, Junichi Shimoda
  • Patent number: 8649718
    Abstract: An apparatus forms a plurality of patterns using a plurality of colors as a second pattern, and a plurality of patterns using one of the plurality of colors as a second pattern. The apparatus obtains a first detection result indicating the pitch of each one of the plurality of patterns of the first pattern, and a second detection result indicating the pitch of each one of the plurality of patterns of the second pattern. The apparatus calculates a difference between the first detection result and the second detection result to obtain a difference value, and calculates a correction value using the second detection result and the difference value. The correction value is used to control an image forming apparatus to suppress color shifts in the images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Junichi Shimoda
  • Publication number: 20130061619
    Abstract: A heat source-side heat exchanger fan blowing air to a heat source-side heat exchanger performing heat exchange with refrigerant compressed in a compressor is controlled. A current detected temperature at a current time is converted to obtain a current converted high pressure value at the current time. The current converted high pressure is a pressure of refrigerant inside a high pressure-side pipe of the compressor. The current detected temperature is a temperature detected by a temperature detector attached to the heat source-side heat exchanger. A past detected temperature is converted to obtain a past converted high pressure value at the past time. A speed of the heat source-side heat exchanger fan is determined using a corrected converted high pressure value. The corrected converted high pressure value is obtained by correcting the current converted high pressure value based on the past converted high pressure value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi Saitou, Junichi Shimoda, Tatsuya Makino
  • Publication number: 20120060532
    Abstract: A heating dedicated air conditioner includes a compression mechanism, an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism provided between one end of the indoor heat exchanger and one end of the outdoor heat exchanger, a four-way switching valve switchable between first and second states of connection between the compressor and the heat exchangers, a fan ventilating the indoor heat exchanger, and a control unit controlling at least the compressor, the expansion mechanism, the four-way switching valve, and the fan. The control unit switches the four-way switching valve to the second state in a test operation mode, which includes a drain water inhibited interval during which drain water inhibition control is performed. The control unit operates the compressor and stops the fan when the drain water inhibition control is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Junichi Shimoda, Hidehiko Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20120060530
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner for inhibiting noise increase and heating performance degradation due to frost attachment onto an outdoor heat exchanger. In an air conditioner (1), a determining part (43) of a control unit (4) determines that the amount of frost attaching onto an outdoor heat exchanger (13) is increased when a difference between an outdoor temperature To and an outdoor heat exchanger temperature Te is increased, and executes a frost attaching condition operation control for reducing the rotation speed of an outdoor fan (23). The operating frequency of the compressor (11) is herein increased in accordance with the reduction amount of the temperature of an indoor heat exchanger (15). The control unit (4) includes change amounts preliminarily set for changing the operating frequency of the compressor (11) in stages. The change amounts correspond to the stages on a one-to-one basis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Junichi Shimoda, Hidehiko Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20120023989
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus includes a compressor, an indoor and outdoor heat exchangers, an indoor fan, an outdoor expansion element, a refrigerant-pressure-perceiving part, which perceives a pressure of refrigerant sent from the compressor to the indoor heat exchanger, and a control part, which performs startup fan control in which the indoor fan remains stopped until the compression element goes from being at rest to starting up and the pressure perceived reaches a high-pressure threshold, the indoor fan is driven when the pressure perceived reaches or exceeds the high-pressure threshold. An action of reducing or stopping air volume of the indoor fan when the pressure perceived decreases to or falls below a low-pressure lower than the high-pressure threshold, and an action of increasing air volume or initiating driving of the indoor fan when the pressure perceived reaches or exceeds a pressure threshold which is higher than the low-pressure threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hidehiko Kinoshita, Tsuyoshi Yamada, Junichi Shimoda, Kenta Fujiwara
  • Publication number: 20110318065
    Abstract: An apparatus forms a plurality of patterns using a plurality of colors as a second pattern, and a plurality of patterns using one of the plurality of colors as a second pattern. The apparatus obtains a first detection result indicating the pitch of each one of the plurality of patterns of the first pattern, and a second detection result indicating the pitch of each one of the plurality of patterns of the second pattern. The apparatus calculates a difference between the first detection result and the second detection result to obtain a difference value, and calculates a correction value using the second detection result and the difference value. The correction value is used to control an image forming apparatus to suppress color shifts in the images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Junichi SHIMODA
  • Publication number: 20110209488
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a refrigerant circuit, a switching valve, an outdoor fan and a controller. The refrigerant circuit sequentially circulates refrigerant through a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, a decompression mechanism and an outdoor heat exchanger during a heating operation. The switching valve is connected to the refrigerant circuit to switch a flow direction of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor. The controller executes a defrosting operation control in which the outdoor fan is deactivated and the switching valve directs refrigerant discharged from the compressor towards the outdoor heat exchanger during a defrosting operation. The controller further maintains the switching valve so refrigerant discharged from the compressor is directed towards the outdoor heat exchanger and executes a fan defrosting operation control in which the outdoor fan is rotated for a predetermined period of time after completion of the defrosting operation when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Yamada, Tetsuya Ogasawara, Junichi Shimoda
  • Publication number: 20110204042
    Abstract: An electromagnetic induction heating unit is configured to heat at least one of a refrigerant tube and a member in thermal contact with a refrigerant that flows through the refrigerant tube. The electromagnetic induction heating unit includes a coil and a magnetic member. The coil is disposed in a vicinity of the refrigerant tube. The magnetic member includes a magnetic material. The magnetic member is disposed on at least one of a first side of the coil along a direction in which the refrigerant tube extends, a second side opposite from the first side with respect to the coil, and an outside of the coil that is opposite to an inside of the coil. The inside of the coil is a refrigerant tube side of the coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Wakashima, Junichi Shimoda
  • Patent number: 7752855
    Abstract: An air conditioner has a heat source unit with a compressor and a heat source heat exchanger and utilization units with utilization expansion valves and utilization heat exchangers. The heat source unit and the utilization unit are interconnected via refrigerant communication pipes. The air conditioner is capable of switching and operating between a normal operation mode in which control of the respective devices is performed depending on the operation loads of the utilization units and a refrigerant quantity judging operation mode in which the utilization units perform cooling operation. The utilization expansion valves are controlled such that degrees of superheating at outlets of the utilization heat exchangers become a positive value, and an operation capacity of the compressor is controlled such that evaporation pressures in the utilization heat exchangers become constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromune Matsuoka, Junichi Shimoda, Kenji Sato, Kazuhide Mizutani