Patents by Inventor Yasuhiko Niimi

Yasuhiko Niimi 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: 10214125
    Abstract: An air-circulation promotion apparatus for a vehicle includes a driver's seat and a front passenger seat provided in the vehicle, and a face outlet port of a vehicle air conditioner disposed in front of those seats. A seat outlet port that blows a sucked air from a side surface of a seat back of the seat toward a rear area of the vehicle is disposed in the seat. An air present between the face outlet port and the seat flows rearward of the seat by aid of wind blown out of the seat outlet port. This makes it possible to circulate a comfortable air rearward of the seat to create a vehicle interior environment having no air retention. A circulation fan is provided in the seat and can be integrated with a seat ventilation system or a seat air conditioner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sakane, Yasuhiko Niimi, Yuuji Yamanaka, Akira Oga
  • Patent number: 10160322
    Abstract: A head-up display device includes a display unit that projects a display image to a windshield of a vehicle; a control board that has a control circuit, which controls the display unit; and a housing case that receives the control board and has a hollow space, which is in contact with the control board. The display unit is placed at an outside of the housing case. The housing case includes a communication passage that communicates between a duct and the hollow space while the duct conducts air, which is blown from an air conditioning device of the vehicle toward a vehicle cabin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirohisa Motomura, Yasuhiko Niimi, Ryo Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 10137755
    Abstract: A connection duct has (i) a duct body that is made of a material having great flexibility, the duct body in which the conditioned air flows and (ii) core members that are made of a material having higher rigidity than the duct body and are arranged, in the duct body, along a flow direction of air, the core members that maintain a cross-sectional shape of the duct body at a specified cross-sectional shape. The core members respectively have (i) an outer plate that is located on an outer peripheral side in the curved portion, (ii) an inner plate that is located on an inner peripheral side in the curved portion, and (iii) a connection plate that connects the outer plate with the inner plate. A length of the outer plate in the flow direction is longer than a length of the inner plate in the flow direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahisa Fujii, Yasuhiko Niimi, Yuusuke Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20180312029
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner includes a casing, a heater core that heats an air flow by heat exchange between the air flow and a heat medium, an electric heater that heats an air flow by an electric power, and a determiner that determines whether a temperature of the heat medium is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. When the determiner determines that the temperature of the heat medium is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, an air flow introduced into a casing is heated by the electric heater and flows toward the vehicle interior without passing through the heater core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Koji ITO, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Jun YAMAOKA, Takashi SAITOU
  • Publication number: 20180093567
    Abstract: A head-up display device includes a display unit that projects a display image to a windshield of a vehicle; a control board that has a control circuit, which controls the display unit; and a housing case that receives the control board and has a hollow space, which is in contact with the control board. The display unit is placed at an outside of the housing case. The housing case includes a communication passage that communicates between a duct and the hollow space while the duct conducts air, which is blown from an air conditioning device of the vehicle toward a vehicle cabin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventors: Hirohisa MOTOMURA, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Ryo YAMAOKA
  • Patent number: 9908447
    Abstract: A seat air conditioning device that blows out air from a seat, supplied from an interior air conditioning unit that air-conditions a space in a passenger compartment for a vehicle, includes: a floor-side duct and a seat-side duct. The floor-side duct is disposed adjacent to a floor of a vehicle body member forming the space in the passenger compartment and is connected to the interior air conditioning unit. The air supplied from the interior air conditioning unit flows through the floor-side duct. The seat-side duct is disposed adjacent to the seat and communicates with the floor-side duct through a connecting duct. The connecting duct is configured to be deformed to follow displacement of the seat, and is arranged along a vehicle harness that connects a floor-side wiring member disposed adjacent to the floor and a seat-side wiring member disposed adjacent to the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuusuke Tanaka, Yasuhiko Niimi, Takahisa Fujii
  • Publication number: 20180043752
    Abstract: An air blower device includes: a blow-out portion A having an outlet A opening in a meter peripheral region to blow out air from an air sending device to the vehicle rear side through an inner side of a steering wheel provided between the meter panel and the driver's seat in a vehicle front-rear direction, wherein the meter peripheral region includes: a portion, which is other than a meter in a meter panel provided on a vehicle front side of a driver's seat in a compartment; and a meter hood provided to spread in a vehicle width direction above the meter panel and protruding to a vehicle rear side farther than the meter panel; and a blowing direction regulation device provided to the blow-out portion A, having an air guiding surface A along which air blown out from the outlet A flows, and regulating a blowing direction of air blown out from the outlet A by changing an angle of the air guiding surface A.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Hirohisa MOTOMURA, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Takeyuki OTSUKI
  • Publication number: 20170043694
    Abstract: A seat air conditioning device that blows out air from a seat, supplied from an interior air conditioning unit that air-conditions a space in a passenger compartment for a vehicle, includes: a floor-side duct and a seat-side duct. The floor-side duct is disposed adjacent to a floor of a vehicle body member forming the space in the passenger compartment and is connected to the interior air conditioning unit. The air supplied from the interior air conditioning unit flows through the floor-side duct. The seat-side duct is disposed adjacent to the seat and communicates with the floor-side duct through a connecting duct. The connecting duct is configured to be deformed to follow displacement of the seat, and is arranged along a vehicle harness that connects a floor-side wiring member disposed adjacent to the floor and a seat-side wiring member disposed adjacent to the seat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Yuusuke TANAKA, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Takahisa FUJII
  • Publication number: 20170036517
    Abstract: A humidification device is used in a vehicle air conditioner having a cooler disposed in an air conditioning case. The air conditioning case has a ventilation path leading air into a vehicle compartment. The humidification device has an adsorber that absorbs and desorbs moisture, a blower, a door that opens or closes an air flow path, and a controller. The controller switches the air flow path by controlling the door to set (i) a dehumidification mode in which air cooled by the cooler is led to the adsorber, and moisture in the air is adsorbed by the adsorber or (ii) a humidification mode in which air is led to the adsorber, the moisture is moved from the adsorber to the air to humidify the air, and the humidified air is blown toward an occupant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji ITO, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Jun YAMAOKA
  • Publication number: 20170008368
    Abstract: A blower has a centrifugal multi-blade fan that has blades around a rotation axis and a casing that houses the centrifugal multi-blade fan. The centrifugal multi-blade fan satisfies a relation of d1/h1?5, in which d1 is a diameter of a part having the blades, and h1 is a height of the blades in an axial direction of the rotation axis. A part of the casing on one side in an axial direction of the centrifugal multi-blade fan has an air suction port. A part of the casing on the radial outer side of the centrifugal multi-blade fan has an air passage through which air blown from the centrifugal multi-blade fan flows. The casing has an enlargement portion that enlarges the air passage on at least one of the one side and an other side in the axial direction as the casing extends toward the radial outer side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    Inventors: Yuusuke TANAKA, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Masafumi KAWASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20160288612
    Abstract: A connection duct has (i) a duct body that is made of a material having great flexibility, the duct body in which the conditioned air flows and (ii) core members that are made of a material having higher rigidity than the duct body and are arranged, in the duct body, along a flow direction of air, the core members that maintain a cross-sectional shape of the duct body at a specified cross-sectional shape. The core members respectively have (i) an outer plate that is located on an outer peripheral side in the curved portion, (ii) an inner plate that is located on an inner peripheral side in the curved portion, and (iii) a connection plate that connects the outer plate with the inner plate. A length of the outer plate in the flow direction is longer than a length of the inner plate in the flow direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Takahisa FUJII, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Yuusuke TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20160280038
    Abstract: A vehicle seat air-conditioning device has a branch duct and a blower. The branch duct is branched laterally from a ventilation duct on a condition of being mounted in a vehicle. The ventilation duct delivers air, which is blown from an air conditioning unit that air-conditions an inside of a vehicle compartment, to a periphery of a rear seat. The blower draws air from the branch duct and blows the air into a ventilation path formed in a blowing target seat. The blow is arranged on a lateral side of the ventilation duct on the condition of being mounted in the vehicle. Since the blower is arranged on the lateral side of the ventilation duct in the vehicle, the blower can be located at a lower position regardless of a length of the ventilation duct in an upper-lower direction. Therefore, a space in the vehicle that is occupied in the upper-lower direction by the ventilation duct and the blower as a whole can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2014
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Yuusuke TANAKA, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Takahisa FUJII
  • Publication number: 20160272038
    Abstract: A seat air-conditioning device is provided with an air blowout portion which is open so as to blow out air toward a seated occupant seated on a vehicle seat, the air being blown from a ventilator. A control device of the seat air-conditioning device causes a blowing direction changing device to change a blowing direction of the air blown our from the air blowout portion based on passenger information including a build and a sitting position of a passenger which is the seated occupant. Accordingly, air can be blown in a direction according to the build or the sitting position of the seated occupant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuusuke TANAKA, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Takahisa FUJII
  • Publication number: 20160250905
    Abstract: A controller causes a blowout air switching device to switch an air blowout portion to a first blowing state if air blown from the air blowout portion is in a pre-temperature controlled state. If air blown from the air blowout portion is in a temperature controlled state, the controller causes the blowout air switching device to switch the air blowout portion to a second blowing state. Furthermore, in the first blowing state, a first air outlet is opened while a second air outlet is closed. Conversely, in the second blowing state, the first air outlet is closed while the second air outlet is open. Thus, it is possible to avoid blowing insufficiently temperature controlled air against a seated occupant, without having to suppressed the blowout airflow rate when a seat air-conditioner starts air-conditioning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: Yuusuke TANAKA, Yasuhiko NIIMI, Takahisa FUJII
  • Publication number: 20160144686
    Abstract: An air-conditioning device for a vehicle seat has a seat, an air conditioning duct, a floor-side connection part, a seat-side connection part, and a connection duct. A position of the seat is adjusted in a front-rear direction. The air conditioning duct guides air, which is supplied from an interior air-conditioning unit, to a lower side of the seat. The floor-side connection part is provided in a vehicle-compartment floor on the lower side of the seat and connects to a downstream side of the air conditioning duct in an air flow direction. The seat-side connection part is provided in a seat bottom surface. The connection duct has one end portion connecting to the floor-side connection part and an other end portion connecting to the seat-side connection part. The seat-side connection part transfers across the floor-side connection part in the front-rear direction when a position of the seat is adjusted in the front-rear direction. The connection duct is deformable and stretchable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahisa FUJII, Yasuhiko NIIMI
  • Publication number: 20150266404
    Abstract: An air-circulation promotion apparatus for a vehicle includes a driver's seat and a front passenger seat provided in the vehicle, and a face outlet port of a vehicle air conditioner disposed in front of those seats. A seat outlet port that blows a sucked air from a side surface of a seat back of the seat toward a rear area of the vehicle is disposed in the seat. An air present between the face outlet port and the seat flows rearward of the seat by aid of wind blown out of the seat outlet port. This makes it possible to circulate a comfortable air rearward of the seat to create a vehicle interior environment having no air retention. A circulation fan is provided in the seat and can be integrated with a seat ventilation system or a seat air conditioner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sakane, Yasuhiko Niimi, Yuuji Yamanaka, Akira Oga
  • Patent number: 9004993
    Abstract: A vehicular seat air-conditioning system comprising a blower (11) which generates blown air, an intake duct (12) which is connected to an intake side of the blower (11), a seat air-conditioning duct (13) which is connected to the in-door air-conditioning unit (21) and in which cool air which was cooled by the in-door air-conditioning unit (21) flows, and a box-shaped part (14) which is formed by a separate member from chassis members forming the cabin space and which is connected to a downstream side end of the seat air-conditioning duct (13). The box-shaped part (14) have side walls (14b) which extend in a vertical direction and a bottom (14c) which closes a space surrounded by the side walls (14b) from the lower side, the top ends of the side walls (14b) form an opening part (14a) which opens facing the upper side in the vertical direction, and an upstream side end of the intake duct (12) is inserted into the inside of the box-shaped part (14) through the opening part (14a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahisa Fujii, Yasuhiko Niimi, Yuji Ito, Takeshi Nishiura
  • Publication number: 20150056906
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle seat has: a centrifugal fan; a first case housing the fan and including a fan inlet and a fan outlet; and a second case providing an inlet-side air passage and an outlet-side air passage. The second case has; an inside-air inlet introducing air from a surface of the vehicle seat into the inlet-side air passage; a conditioned-air inlet introducing conditioned air from an air conditioning unit for a passenger compartment into the inlet-side air passage; a conditioned-air outlet through which air in the outlet-side air passage flows to the surface of the vehicle seat; and an exhaust-air outlet through which air in the outlet-side air passage flows out of the second case. The second case includes: an inlet-side switching door that selectively opens or closes the inside-air inlet and the conditioned-air inlet; and an outlet-side switching door that selectively opens or closes the conditioned-air outlet and the exhaust-air outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Takahisa FUJII, Yasuhiko NIIMI
  • Patent number: 8789883
    Abstract: A cushion structure of a vehicle seat is provided. The cushion structure includes a cushion pad formed of expanded resin and configuring a cushion part of the vehicle seat, the cushion pad being provided with a groove part, and a reinforcing sheet material which is harder than the cushion pad and is provided integrally with an upright wall face of the groove part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignees: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hidehiro Itou, Yasuhiko Niimi
  • Patent number: 8646836
    Abstract: A vehicle seat is provided. The vehicle seat includes a seat main body, and a duct that is provided in the seat main body. The duct includes an inlet port through which air is supplied, a first communication pipe which is branched from the inlet port and communicates with a first outlet port, and a second communication pipe which is branched from the inlet port and communicates with a second outlet port. The duct is provided with a heating device which is configured to supply or absorb heat to or from air flowing through at least one of the first communication pipe and the second communication pipe so as to generate a temperature difference between air discharged from the first outlet port and air discharged from the second outlet port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Oota, Atsuki Sasaki, Takeshi Nishiura, Yasuhiko Niimi, Jun Yamaoka