Patents by Inventor Takafumi Nakai

Takafumi Nakai 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: 20240085053
    Abstract: A contaminant detector includes a detection object that is inclined relative to a horizontal direction in a drainage unit for accumulation of discharged water and on which a contaminant is to be deposited and a detection unit configured to emit energy toward the detection object to detect a contamination state of the detection object. The detection unit includes a transmission and reception module configured to emit and receive energy, a calculation module configured to calculate an amount of energy received from the detection object by the transmission and reception module, and a determination module configured to determine, based on the amount of energy calculated by the calculation module, the contamination state of the detection object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takafumi NAKAI, Akira MORIKAWA, Noriaki KATSUMATA, Masaru TAKADA
  • Patent number: 11573020
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a drain pan that receives water, and a detector including an ultrasonic sensor that emits and receives ultrasonic waves. The detector analyzes a response signal from the ultrasonic sensor to detect a contaminant generated in the drain pan. A bottom flat surface portion that forms a bottom of the drain pan is located parallel to a flat surface portion that forms a receiving surface of the ultrasonic sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takafumi Nakai, Akira Morikawa, Isamu Hirashiki
  • Publication number: 20210270479
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a drain pan that receives water, and a detector including an ultrasonic sensor that emits and receives ultrasonic waves. The detector analyzes a response signal from the ultrasonic sensor to detect a contaminant generated in the drain pan. A bottom flat surface portion that forms a bottom of the drain pan is located parallel to a flat surface portion that forms a receiving surface of the ultrasonic sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takafumi NAKAI, Akira MORIKAWA, Isamu HIRASHIKI
  • Patent number: 10369497
    Abstract: This invention is a foreign substance removal apparatus that removes foreign substances in such a medium as a refrigerant that flows through a circulation path, the foreign substance removal apparatus including: a foreign substance sedimentation unit which is connected to the circulation path and is configured to settle the foreign substances; a foreign substance separation unit configured to separate, from the foreign substance sedimentation unit, the foreign substances settled in the foreign substance sedimentation unit; first pressure open/close means which is disposed on a bottom of the foreign substance sedimentation unit, and is configured to open or close in accordance with pressure inside the circulation path; and a foreign substance discharge pipe which connects the bottom of the foreign substance sedimentation unit and the foreign substance separation unit via the first pressure open/close means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takafumi Nakai, Hironori Kuriki, Kazuhiro Miya, Nozomu Yasunaga
  • Publication number: 20180028943
    Abstract: This invention is a foreign substance removal apparatus that removes foreign substances in such a medium as a refrigerant that flows through a circulation path, the foreign substance removal apparatus including: a foreign substance sedimentation unit which is connected to the circulation path and is configured to settle the foreign substances; a foreign substance separation unit configured to separate, from the foreign substance sedimentation unit, the foreign substances settled in the foreign substance sedimentation unit; first pressure open/close means which is disposed on a bottom of the foreign substance sedimentation unit, and is configured to open or close in accordance with pressure inside the circulation path; and a foreign substance discharge pipe which connects the bottom of the foreign substance sedimentation unit and the foreign substance separation unit via the first pressure open/close means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takafumi NAKAI, Hironori KURIKI, Kazuhiro MIYA, Nozomu YASUNAGA
  • Patent number: 9845961
    Abstract: A humidifier obtains, based on detection values of a first and second temperature and humidity sensors, the amount of humidification, the amount of water evaporated by a humidifying material per preset time, controls the amount of water supplied by a water supply unit per the preset time to be smaller than a specific value when the amount of humidification obtained at the present time is increased compared to the amount of humidification obtained at the previous time, and controls the amount of water supplied by the water supply unit per the preset time to be equal to or greater than the specific value when the amount of humidification obtained at the present time is decreased compared to the amount of humidification obtained at the previous time or when the amount of humidification obtained at the present time is equal to the amount of humidification obtained at the previous time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Saito, Seiji Noda, Kazuhiro Miya, Seiji Furukawa, Takafumi Nakai
  • Publication number: 20150153052
    Abstract: A humidifier obtains, based on detection values of a first and second temperature and humidity sensors, the amount of humidification, the amount of water evaporated by a humidifying material per preset time, controls the amount of water supplied by a water supply unit per the preset time to be smaller than a specific value when the amount of humidification obtained at the present time is increased compared to the amount of humidification obtained at the previous time, and controls the amount of water supplied by the water supply unit per the preset time to be equal to or greater than the specific value when the amount of humidification obtained at the present time is decreased compared to the amount of humidification obtained at the previous time or when the amount of humidification obtained at the present time is equal to the amount of humidification obtained at the previous time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Saito, Seiji Noda, Kazuhiro Miya, Seiji Furukawa, Takafumi Nakai
  • Publication number: 20070006904
    Abstract: A substrate cleaning system that cleans a glass substrate by supplying liquid and gas to spray nozzles and by spraying fluid, where the liquid and the gas are mixed in the spray nozzles, onto the substrate in order to effectively remove foreign objects attached on the end surface of substrate after performing mechanical cut-off or polishing treatment, the system has: liquid heating means for heating the liquid to be supplied to the spray nozzles to control the temperature of the liquid, in which the temperature of the liquid at the inlet of the spray nozzles is controlled at 40° C. to 100° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Publication date: January 11, 2007
    Applicant: SPC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takehiro Hagiwara, Tatsuo Kataoka, Seiji Noda, Takafumi Nakai