Patents by Inventor Kunihiko Nishishita

Kunihiko Nishishita 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: 6397938
    Abstract: In a heat exchanger achieving a smaller width and constituted as a two-path heat exchanger having a first path through which the coolant travels from a first tank group to a second tank group and a second path through which the coolant travels from a third tank group to a fourth tank group to improve the temperature distribution in the heat exchanger and the heat exchanging capability, the coolant flows in opposite directions in the first path and the second path, the high-temperature area in the first path and the low temperature area in the second path are aligned with each other along the direction of the airflow and the high temperature area in the second path and the low temperature area in the first path are aligned with each other along the direction of airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 6354368
    Abstract: The present invention provides fins utilized in an integrated heat exchanger that achieve a highly effective prevention of heat conduction, do not create any cuttings during their formation and achieve a high degree of dynamic strength and a method for manufacturing these fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignees: Zexel Corporation, Toyo Radiator Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nishishita, Takashi Sugita
  • Patent number: 6273184
    Abstract: In a parallel integrated heat exchanger achieved by joining a plurality of heat exchangers with their heat exchanging units facing opposite each other and integrated fins formed to be shared by adjacent heat exchangers, performance-improving louvers 31a and 32a are formed between the tubes of the individual heat exchangers and heat transfer prevention louvers 32b are formed over the entire area between the tubes 3 of a condenser 5 and the tubes 7 of a radiator 9. The heat transfer prevention louvers 32b are formed continuous to, at least, the performance-improving louvers 32a formed at one of the heat exchangers. The heat transfer prevention louvers 32b and the performance-improving louvers 32a formed continuously are made to incline along the same direction. By forming the heat transfer prevention louvers over the area of fins located between the tubes of one of the adjacent heat exchangers and the tubes of the other heat exchanger in a specific manner, the manufacturing process is facilitated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Zexel Valeo Climate Control Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 6250381
    Abstract: The present invention provides a radiator achieving a structure that enables integrated brazing, facilitates mounting of an automatic oil cooler and repair on areas with defective brazing and realizes good mountability and recyclability. A tank portion 4 at which tubes 2 of the radiator are inserted is constituted of a first L-shaped tank member 30 and a second L-shaped tank member 40. Prior to the process for assembling the tank portion 4, intake/outlet pipes 9 and 10 are mounted at the first L-shaped tank member 30 and an A/T oil cooler 46 is mounted at the second L-shaped tank member 40 to facilitate mounting of the A/T oil cooler 46 inside the tank portions 4. In addition, since at least the tank portion 4, the tubes 2, the fins 3 and the side plate 11 are brazed together as an integrated unit in a furnace, the production of the radiator is facilitated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignees: Zexel Corporation, Toyo Radiator Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 6227290
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger with a pair of tank portions formed at one side of each tube element and intake/outlet portions for heat exchanging medium provided at one end in the direction of the lamination or in the direction running at a right angle to the direction of the lamination, a constricting portion for limiting the flow passage cross section is provided in an area in the tank portions where the flow shifts from an even-numbered pass to an odd-numbered pass in a plurality of passes. This allows the heat exchanging medium to flow in sufficient quantities into the tube elements near the outlet side of the partitioning portion, preventing inconsistency in temperature distribution. This constricting portion, which is formed in the tank group opposite the tank group where the partitioning portion is provided, is provided at the same lamination position as the partitioning portion. The constricting portion may be also formed with a plurality of holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nishishita, Seiji Inoue, Kiyoshi Tanda, Hitoshi Sakata
  • Patent number: 6220342
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger with a pair of tank portions formed at one side of each tube element and intake/outlet portions for heat exchanging medium provided at one end in the direction of the lamination or in the direction running at a right angle to the direction of the lamination, a constricting portion for limiting the flow passage cross section is provided in an area in the tank portions where the flow shifts from an even-numbered pass to an odd-numbered pass in a plurality of passes. This allows the heat exchanging medium to flow in sufficient quantities into the tube elements near the outlet side of the partitioning portion, thereby avoiding inconsistency in temperature distribution. This constricting portion, which is formed in the tank group opposite the tank group where the partitioning portion is provided, is provided at the same lamination position as the partitioning portion. The constricting portion may be also formed with a plurality of holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nishishita, Seiji Inoue, Kiyoshi Tanda, Hitoshi Sakata
  • Patent number: 6170565
    Abstract: A heat exchanger comprising tubes (4) for configuring a first heat exchanger (A) and tubes (5) for configuring a second heat exchanger (B), the tubes (4) and (5) being disposed upstream and down stream of a direction that air is flown, fins (6) disposed between the tubes (4), (5), and ends of the respective tubes (4), (5) connected into the respective tanks (2), (3), wherein the fins (6) have louvers (7A), (7B), which are formed into a group of louvers (7A), (7A) formed on the fins disposed in the first heat exchanger (A) and a group of louvers (7B), (7B) formed on the fins disposed in the second heat exchanger (B), these two groups having a different shape of louvers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 6032729
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger, an intake portion and an outlet portion for heat exchanging medium are provided at one end portion in the direction of lamination. The intake portion is made to communicate with a most upstream pass distance from the one end portion in the direction of lamination via a communicating pipe, and the outlet portion is made to communicate with the most downstream pass at one end portion in the direction of lamination. The communicating pipe is further made to communicate with an odd-numbered pass in the vicinity where the odd-numbered pass changes from the even-numbered pass that immediately precedes it. In addition, the intake portion at one end portion in the direction of lamination is made to communicate with the pass immediately preceding the most downstream pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nishishita, Muneo Sakurada, Seiji Inoue
  • Patent number: 5979542
    Abstract: In order to improve the anticorrosion properties of a flat plate or an intake/outlet passage plate provided at an outermost end in the direction of lamination in a laminated heat exchanger, a sacrificial layer, whose electrical potential is lower than the electrical potential of the core material, is provided at the outer surface of the flat plate or the intake/outlet passage plate located at the outermost end of the laminated heat exchanger in the direction of lamination. The above arrangement prevents corrosion of the core material through sacrificial corrosion of the sacrificial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corportion
    Inventors: Seiji Inoue, Kunihiko Nishishita, Fumio Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 5931225
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger, an intake portion and an outlet portion for heat exchanging medium are provided at one end portion in the direction of lamination. The intake portion is made to communicate with a most upstream pass distance from the one end portion in the direction of lamination via a communicating pipe, and the outlet portion is made to communicate with the most downstream pass at one end portion in the direction of lamination. The communicating pipe is further made to communicate with an odd-numbered pass in the vicinity where the odd-numbered pass changes from the even-numbered pass that immediately precedes it. In addition, the intake portion at one end portion in the direction of lamination is made to communicate with the pass immediately preceding the most downstream pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nishishita, Muneo Sakurada, Seiji Inoue
  • Patent number: 5931221
    Abstract: In order to achieve an improvement in the recyclability of a heat exchanger by mounting a seal material for sealing the gap between the heat exchanger and the case in which the heat exchanger is mounted without using an adhesive or the like at the heat exchanger and thus facilitating the removal of the seal material, an arrangement for mounting the seal material is provided at a specific position at an external circumferential portion of the heat exchanger. For instance, a guide is provided by inwardly bending the central portion in the direction of airflow of each of the projecting pieces formed at the tube elements at one end in a lengthwise direction or by cutting and raising the central portion perpendicularly. A pair of retaining portions are formed at specific positions at an external circumferential portion located at the sides of the heat exchanger relative to the direction of airflow to hold the two ends of the seal material with the pair of retaining portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Seiji Inoue, Kunihiko Nishishita, Fumio Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 5893412
    Abstract: In order to prevent a communicating pipe from becoming damaged by water (in particular drain water) collecting in the gap formed between the tube element at one end of a heat exchanger that is constituted of a flat plate and a formed plate and the communicating pipe through defective brazing and repeatedly freezing and melting, a flange (32) and a bonding margin (11) continuous to the flange (32) are notched off over almost the entire circumference at the center on the inside of an indented portion (9) in a formed plate (16) which, together with a flat plate (15), constitutes a tube element (3b). Thus, while the communicating pipe (27) comes in contact with the internal surface of a flange (29) of a pipe connection hole (28) of the flat plate (15), it does not come in contact with the formed plate (16), thereby forming a gap bounded by the flat plate (15), the formed plate (16) and the communicating pipe (27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nishishita, Seiji Inoue, Fumio Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 5881804
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger, an intake portion and an outlet portion for heat exchanging medium are provided at one end portion in the direction of lamination. The intake portion is made to communicate with a most upstream pass distanced from the one end portion in the direction of lamination via a communicating pipe, and the outlet portion is made to communicate with the most downstream pass at one end portion in the direction of lamination. The communicating pipe is further made to communicate with an odd-numbered pass in the vicinity where the odd-numbered pass changes from the even-numbered pass that immediately precedes it. In addition, the intake portion at one end portion in the direction of lamination is made to communicate with the pass immediately preceding the most downstream pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nishishita, Muneo Sakurada, Seiji Inoue
  • Patent number: 5881805
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger constituted by using tube elements each having a heat exchanging medium passage and tanks formed as an integrated unit, the wall surfaces between a plurality of shoal-like beads formed in heat exchanging medium passage of the tube element at the boundary between the heat exchanging medium passage and the tank and between the shoal-like beads and the side edges of the tube element are made to incline to gradually widen in the direction of the lamination as they approach the tanks. With this, the flow area at the boundary between the heat exchanging medium passage and the tank is increased compared to that in a tube element in the prior art, and moreover, since the angle at which heat exchanging medium flows from the tanks into heat exchanging medium passage is wider, the resistance that heat exchanging medium is subject to when it flows from the tanks into heat exchanging medium passage becomes reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Seiji Inoue, Kunihiko Nishishita, Fumio Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 5751414
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger provided with tanks only on one side, which is constituted by laminating tube elements alternately with fins over a plurality of levels, a flange portion projecting out toward the fins is provided in each formed plate constituting the tube elements at an end portion on the opposite side from the tanks, and the flange portions facing opposite each other between the individual tube elements are made to face opposite each other over gaps. A notch is formed in each flange portion. For different types of formed plates, the notches are at positions shifted relative to one another in the direction of the width of the core main body along the direction of airflow. A notch may be formed at any position and be of any size in the flange portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 5724817
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a laminated heat exchanger having a block type expansion valve which is mounted without using O-rings or screws. In the laminated heat exchanger, the block main body, which is a component of the block type expansion valve, is brazed in a furnace to a pair of intake/outlet portions that lie parallel to each other on the laminated heat exchanger. The other components of the block type expansion valve are mounted after the brazing operation. This achieves an improvement in the secureness and seal between the block main body and the intake/outlet portions. With the above arrangement, it is possible to eliminate parts used for fixing and sealing the block type expansion valve and the intake/outlet portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 5718284
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger having tube elements alternatingly laminated with fins, the plate thickness of an end plate is made smaller than the plate thickness of a formed plate constituting the tube element at the extreme end. Since the end plate becomes deformed more easily than the formed plate, even if pin holes are formed in the bonding area and condensed water becomes frozen in the pin holes, only the end plate will become distended, preventing deformation of the formed plate. Thus, even if pin holes are formed due to defective brazing in the bonding area of the formed plate which comprises the tube elements at the extreme end and the end plate, the tube element is prevented from becoming frozen and damaged, and the heat exchanging medium is prevented from leaking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 5667007
    Abstract: A laminated heat exchanger in which tube elements and end plates can be bonded without forming gaps is provided while an end structure provides a sufficient flow passage area through the tube elements at the ends. An outside formed plate forming a tube element at one end of a laminated heat exchanger is formed flat and an end plate is bonded to the flat formed plate. The formed plate is provided with indentations and projections corresponding to those in the flat formed plate to which it is bonded face-to-face, and portions where the flat formed plate comes into contact with the end plate are formed flat or planar. The bonding margins of the end plate where it contacts the flat formed plate are formed so as to avoid areas which include indentations and projections in the flat formed plate. The end plate is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the flat formed plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 5662164
    Abstract: In a laminated heat exchanger, tube elements through which heat exchanging medium does not easily flow are eliminated by partitioning one of two tank groups extending in a direction of lamination approximately at the middle to divide it into a first communicating area 22 and a second communicating area 23. The first communicating area 22 communicates with an intake port 20 though which coolant flows in. The second communicating area 23 communicates with an outlet port 21 through which the coolant flows out. The number of tube elements constituting the first communicating area 22 is greater than the number of tube elements constituting the second communicating area 23. In this 4-pass system laminated heat exchanger, inconsistency in temperature distribution is minimized to achieve an improvement in heat exchanging performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita
  • Patent number: 5649592
    Abstract: In order to prevent damage to the tube elements or the communicating pipe due to water collecting in a gap formed between the tube elements and the communicating pipe by defective brazing in a laminated heat exchanger, in which the water thus collected will be frozen and melted repeatedly, a structure that ensures that no water is collected in such a gap is achieved by making either one or both of the indented portions of the two formed plates, which constitute the indented portion of each tube element, not in contact with the communicating pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1997
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nishishita