Patents by Inventor Tadashi Nakagawa

Tadashi Nakagawa 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: 10502118
    Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery device includes: a first pipe through which exhaust gas from an engine flows; a second pipe that communicates with the first pipe and bypasses the first pipe; a heat recovery unit that is disposed at an interior of the second pipe, and that exchanges heat between the exhaust gas and cooling water that circulates at an interior of the heat recovery unit, and that recovers heat of the exhaust gas; and a heat transfer suppressing mechanism that is provided at a portion connecting the first pipe with the second pipe, and that suppresses transfer of heat from the first pipe to the second pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio Murata, Tadashi Nakagawa, Kazunari Matsuura
  • Patent number: 10280823
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an engine control device including: an adjustment section that adjusts a flow amount per unit time of exhaust gas from an engine; and a control section that, in a case in which a temperature below freezing point is detected by a temperature detection section that detects an external air temperature or an intake air temperature, a preceding engine operation duration is shorter than a first duration, and a value in a predetermined range in which water in an exhaust pipe can be drained by the flow amount being raised by a certain amount is detected by a value detection section that detects a value representing an acceleration, an accelerator opening or an engine rotation speed, controls the adjustment section so as to raise the flow amount by the certain amount until a second duration has passed from starting of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio Murata, Tadashi Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 10054026
    Abstract: There is provided an exhaust heat recovery structure that may suppress boiling of coolant in a heat exchanger. The exhaust heat recovery structure includes a first pipe, a second pipe, a valve and a thermostat. Exhaust gas from an engine flows in the first pipe. The second pipe branches from the first pipe and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the coolant and exhaust gas is provided at the second pipe. The valve is provided at the first pipe or the second pipe. The valve adjusts a flow amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second pipe by opening and closing. The thermostat is equipped with a heat-sensing portion that is disposed inside the heat exchanger. When the temperature of the heat-sensing portion is high, the thermostat opens or closes the valve to reduce the flow amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio Murata, Tadashi Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20170292429
    Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery device includes: a first pipe through which exhaust gas from an engine flows; a second pipe that communicates with the first pipe and bypasses the first pipe; a heat recovery unit that is disposed at an interior of the second pipe, and that exchanges heat between the exhaust gas and cooling water that circulates at an interior of the heat recovery unit, and that recovers heat of the exhaust gas; and a heat transfer suppressing mechanism that is provided at a portion connecting the first pipe with the second pipe, and that suppresses transfer of heat from the first pipe to the second pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio MURATA, Tadashi NAKAGAWA, Kazunari MATSUURA
  • Publication number: 20170058747
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an engine control device including: an adjustment section that adjusts a flow amount per unit time of exhaust gas from an engine; and a control section that, in a case in which a temperature below freezing point is detected by a temperature detection section that detects an external air temperature or an intake air temperature, a preceding engine operation duration is shorter than a first duration, and a value in a predetermined range in which water in an exhaust pipe can be drained by the flow amount being raised by a certain amount is detected by a value detection section that detects a value representing an acceleration, an accelerator opening or an engine rotation speed, controls the adjustment section so as to raise the flow amount by the certain amount until a second duration has passed from starting of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio MURATA, Tadashi Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20160376970
    Abstract: There is provided an exhaust heat recovery structure that may suppress boiling of coolant in a heat exchanger. The exhaust heat recovery structure includes a first pipe, a second pipe, a valve and a thermostat. Exhaust gas from an engine flows in the first pipe. The second pipe branches from the first pipe and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the coolant and exhaust gas is provided at the second pipe. The valve is provided at the first pipe or the second pipe. The valve adjusts a flow amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second pipe by opening and closing. The thermostat is equipped with a heat-sensing portion that is disposed inside the heat exchanger. When the temperature of the heat-sensing portion is high, the thermostat opens or closes the valve to reduce the flow amount of exhaust gas flowing into the second pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio MURATA, Tadashi NAKAGAWA
  • Publication number: 20160355090
    Abstract: There is provided an information notification device that is able to encourage a driver to drive in such a way that water condensate inside an exhaust pipe is discharged. The information notification device includes a notification unit that notifies a driver about a blockage in an exhaust pipe or about a possibility of a blockage occurring in an exhaust pipe, and a control unit that, based on output results from various sensors, predicts a blockage caused by water condensate freezing inside the exhaust pipe, and when it has predicted such a blockage, controls the notification unit such that the driver is notified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio MURATA, Masakazu SHINKAI, Tadashi NAKAGAWA
  • Patent number: 9340094
    Abstract: An engine and an electronic control unit perform cooling capacity increase control for compensating for a insufficiency of the cooling capacity of a cooling device. The electronic control unit performs a variety of control for a vehicle, including control of the cooling device. At that time, the electronic control unit calculates the target value of the cooling capacity of the cooling device, calculates the estimate value of the cooling capacity that will be able to be exerted in the future under the current control, compares the target value and the estimate value, and when it is determined from the result of the comparison that the cooling capacity will be insufficient, performs the cooling capacity increase control. The electronic control unit changes the contents of the cooling capacity increase control according to the degree of insufficiency of the estimate value with respect to the target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaki Morita, Tadashi Nakagawa, Hiroshi Kishita
  • Patent number: 9233597
    Abstract: An engine and an electronic control unit perform cooling capacity increase control for compensating for a insufficiency of the cooling capacity of a cooling device. The electronic control unit performs a variety of control for a vehicle, including control of the cooling device. At that time, the electronic control unit calculates the target value of the cooling capacity of the cooling device, calculates the estimate value of the cooling capacity that will be able to be exerted in the future under the current control, compares the target value and the estimate value, and when it is determined from the result of the comparison that the cooling capacity will be insufficient, performs the cooling capacity increase control. The electronic control unit changes the contents of the cooling capacity increase control according to the degree of insufficiency of the estimate value with respect to the target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaki Morita, Tadashi Nakagawa, Hiroshi Kishita
  • Publication number: 20150275739
    Abstract: A heat recovery unit is disposed in second piping branching from first piping in which an exhaust gas from an engine flows. An actuator driving a valve member of the first piping is arranged to be out of contact with a flow path for an engine coolant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takato ISHIHATA, Toshio MURATA, Yuichirou HIRATA, Yukihisa MATSUDA, Tadashi NAKAGAWA
  • Patent number: 8868314
    Abstract: By employing a heat source control section that controls the operating state of an internal combustion engine mounted in a vehicle, a necessary heat calculating section that calculates the engine coolant temperature needed by a heater core, which consumes the heat supplied from the engine through engine coolant water, and the time at which this engine coolant temperature becomes necessary, a heat supply estimating section that estimates engine coolant temperature at the aforementioned time in a case in which the engine is operated continuously in the current operating state, and a heat generation increase requesting section that requests the heat source control section to increase heat generation quantity of the engine when the engine coolant temperature estimated by the heat supply estimating section is less than the engine coolant temperature calculated by the necessary heat calculating section, the heat necessary for the heater core is supplied more efficiently and adequately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Morita, Tadashi Nakagawa, Hiroshi Kishita
  • Patent number: 8794124
    Abstract: The present embodiments disclose an axial hydraulic pump including a residual pressure regenerating circuit (30) which is a pipe line communicating with a top dead center side communication port (31) and a bottom dead center side communication port (32). Further, the axial hydraulic pump includes cylinder ports (26-1 to 26-8) which are provided in the respective cylinder bores of the cylinder block (6) and are operated with the rotation of the cylinder block (6). Even further, the axial hydraulic pump includes communication holes (41-1 to 41-8) which communicate with the top dead center side communication port (31) and the bottom dead center side communication port (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeo Iida, Tadashi Nakagawa, Tomohiro Sakai
  • Patent number: 8577526
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle 20, when the ECO switch 88 is turned on, Step S140 determines whether or not a driving state is an economy driving state based on an ECO mode driving state determination map having a tendency not to regard the driving state as the economy driving state in comparison with a normal driving state determination map. A determination result of Step S140 is displayed on a meter display unit 90 in the form of an illumination or an extinction of an ECO mark 95 so as to inform the driving state is the economy driving state or not (Step S180).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihiko Jinno, Tadashi Nakagawa, Masahiko Maeda, Hideaki Yaguchi
  • Publication number: 20130152777
    Abstract: Provided is an axial hydraulic pump including: a residual pressure regenerating circuit (30) which is a pipe line communicating with a top dead center side communication port (31) and a bottom dead center side communication port (32); cylinder ports (26-1 to 26-8) which are provided in the respective cylinder bores of the cylinder block (6) and are operated with the rotation of the cylinder block (6); and communication holes (41-1 to 41-8) which communicate with the top dead center side communication port (31) and the bottom dead center side communication port (32).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Takeo Iida, Tadashi Nakagawa, Tomohiro Sakai
  • Publication number: 20130088145
    Abstract: A plasma display panel includes a front plate and a rear plate opposing the front plate. The front plate has a display region to generate a discharge between the front plate and the rear plate, and a non-display region provided in an outer periphery of the display region. A discharge gap is provided between a first electrode and a second electrode of the front plate. The first electrode includes a plurality of first projecting parts projecting from a first base part toward the discharge gap. The second electrode includes a plurality of second projecting parts projecting from a second base part toward the discharge gap. The discharge gap in the non-display region is larger than the discharge gap in the display region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Shirai, Kota Araki, Tadashi Nakagawa, Koichi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8327634
    Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery system (10) includes: an exhaust heat exchanger (18) that is communicated with a catalytic converter (16) through an exhaust gas pipe (14A), and that recovers exhaust heat into a coolant; and heat transfer restriction means (50) provided between the catalytic converter (16) and the exhaust heat exchanger (18). The heat transfer restriction means (50) includes a heat insulator (56) disposed between a first exhaust gas pipe (52) and a second exhaust gas pipe (54) that constitute the exhaust gas pipe (14A), and. restrains a released heat from the catalytic converter (16) from reaching the exhaust heat exchanger (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Manabu Orihashi, Tadashi Nakagawa, Yoshio Hasegawa, Yasuhiro Kaya
  • Patent number: 8271156
    Abstract: When determined that a driver's accelerator operation is rough during the turn-on condition of an ECO switch 88 while a hybrid vehicle 20 is driven without an operation of an engine 22 (Step S120), a threshold value Pref with respect to a power demand P* is set to a value P2 that is larger than a value P1 of the turn-off condition of the ECO switch 88 so as to give priority to fuel consumption of the engine 22 (Step S140). Then, the engine 22, motors MG1 and MG2 are controlled with a start of the engine 22 as necessary so as to ensure torque equivalent to a torque demand Tr* (Steps S150-S230).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihiko Jinno, Tadashi Nakagawa, Masahiko Maeda, Hideaki Yaguchi
  • Patent number: 8255137
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle 20, when an ECO switch 88 is “on” when a brake demand operation is performed by a driver, a target regeneration distribution rate d is set using an ECO mode regeneration distribution rate setting map that gives priority to energy efficiency in comparison to a normal regeneration distribution rate setting map that is used when the ECO switch 88 is “off” and a braking force demand BF* that is based on the brake demand operation of the driver (S150), and a motor MG2 and a brake unit 90 are controlled so that the braking force demand BF* is obtained based on the target regeneration distribution rate d (S160 to S230).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihiko Jinno, Tadashi Nakagawa, Masahiko Maeda, Hideaki Yaguchi
  • Publication number: 20120198869
    Abstract: An engine and an electronic control unit perform cooling capacity increase control for compensating for a insufficiency of the cooling capacity of a cooling device. The electronic control unit performs a variety of control for a vehicle, including control of the cooling device. At that time, the electronic control unit calculates the target value of the cooling capacity of the cooling device, calculates the estimate value of the cooling capacity that will be able to be exerted in the future under the current control, compares the target value and the estimate value, and when it is determined from the result of the comparison that the cooling capacity will be insufficient, performs the cooling capacity increase control. The electronic control unit changes the contents of the cooling capacity increase control according to the degree of insufficiency of the estimate value with respect to the target value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaki Morita, Tadashi Nakagawa, Hiroshi Kishita
  • Patent number: 8204639
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle 20, an engine 22, motors MG1 and MG2 are controlled so that the engine 22 is operated at a target operation point set at Step 120 based on a torque demand Tr* and the motor MG2 outputs lower power for driving in comparison with a turn-off condition of an ECO switch 88 when the ECO switch 88 is turned on upon driving with power from both the engine 22 and the motor MG2 (Steps S130-S150 and S170-S200).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihiko Jinno, Tadashi Nakagawa, Masahiko Maeda, Hideaki Yaguchi