Patents by Inventor Youhei Nagano

Youhei Nagano 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: 10527329
    Abstract: In an ejector-type refrigeration cycle device provided with a first compression mechanism and a second compression mechanism, a refrigerant outlet of a suction side evaporator is coupled to a refrigerant suction port of the ejector, and a second compression mechanism is provided between the suction side evaporator and the refrigerant suction port of the ejector. Thus, even in an operation condition in which suction capacity of the ejector is decreased in accordance with a decrease of the flow amount of a drive flow of the ejector, the suction capacity of the ejector can be supplemented by the operation of the second compression mechanism. Accordingly, even when a variation in the flow amount of the drive flow is caused, the ejector-type refrigeration cycle device can be stably operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Oshitani, Kenichi Fujiwara, Haruyuki Nishijima, Etsuhisa Yamada, Tooru Ikemoto, Youhei Nagano
  • Patent number: 10495350
    Abstract: An ejector-type refrigeration cycle has a compressor, an ejector module, a discharge capacity control section, and a pressure difference determining section. The ejector module has a body providing a gas-liquid separating space. The pressure difference determining section determines whether a low pressure difference operating condition is met. The low pressure difference operating condition is an operating condition in which a pressure difference obtained by subtracting a low-pressure side refrigerant pressure from a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure a predetermined reference pressure difference or lower. The body is provided with an oil return passage that guides a part of a liquid-phase refrigerant to flow from the gas-liquid separating space to a suction side of the compressor. The discharge capacity control section sets a refrigerant discharge capacity to be a predetermined reference discharge capacity or higher when the low pressure difference operating condition is determined to be met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Kume, Masahiro Yamada, Toshiyuki Tashiro, Yoshinori Araki, Haruyuki Nishijima, Youhei Nagano, Yoshiyuki Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 10442274
    Abstract: An ejector refrigeration cycle device includes: a radiator that dissipates heat from a refrigerant discharged from a compressor; an ejector module that decompresses the refrigerant cooled by the radiator; and an evaporator that evaporates a liquid-phase refrigerant separated in a gas-liquid separation space of the ejector module. A grille shutter is disposed as an inflow-pressure increasing portion between the radiator and a cooling fan blowing the outside air toward the radiator. The grille shutter is operated to decrease the volume of the outside air to be blown toward the radiator when an outside air temperature is equal to or lower than a reference outside air temperature, thereby increasing the pressure of the inflow refrigerant to flow into a nozzle passage of the ejector module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Tashiro, Masahiro Yamada, Makoto Kume, Haruyuki Nishijima, Youhei Nagano, Yoshiyuki Yokoyama, Yoshinori Araki
  • Patent number: 10179500
    Abstract: An ejector-type refrigeration cycle includes an ejector module integrated with a gas-liquid separation device. A length of an inlet pipe that connects a liquid-phase refrigerant outflow port of an ejector module to a refrigerant inflow port of an evaporator is shorter than a length of a suction pipe that connects a gas-phase refrigerant outflow port of the ejector module to a suction port of the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kataoka, Shun Kurata, Isamu Takasugi, Haruyuki Nishijima, Youhei Nagano, Yoshiyuki Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 10145588
    Abstract: An ejector refrigeration cycle has a compressor, a radiator, an ejector, a swirl flow generator, an evaporator, and an oil separator. The compressor compresses refrigerant, mixed with refrigerant oil compatible with a liquid-phase refrigerant, and discharges the high-pressure refrigerant. The ejector has a nozzle and a body having a refrigerant suction port and a pressure increasing part. The swirl flow generator is configured to cause a decompression boiling in the refrigerant by causing the refrigerant to swirl about a center axis of the nozzle. The oil separator separates the refrigerant oil from the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor and guides the refrigerant oil to flow to a suction side of the compressor. The oil separator decreases a concentration of the refrigerant oil in the refrigerant, which is to flow into the swirl flow generator, so as to promote the decompression boiling of the refrigerant in the swirl flow generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youhei Nagano, Haruyuki Nishijima, Yoshiyuki Yokoyama
  • Publication number: 20180023847
    Abstract: An ejector refrigeration cycle has a compressor, a radiator, an ejector, a swirl flow generator, an evaporator, and an oil separator. The compressor compresses refrigerant, mixed with refrigerant oil compatible with a liquid-phase refrigerant, and discharges the high-pressure refrigerant. The ejector has a nozzle and a body having a refrigerant suction port and a pressure increasing part. The swirl flow generator is configured to cause a decompression boiling in the refrigerant by causing the refrigerant to swirl about a center axis of the nozzle. The oil separator separates the refrigerant oil from the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor and guides the refrigerant oil to flow to a suction side of the compressor. The oil separator decreases a concentration of the refrigerant oil in the refrigerant, which is to flow into the swirl flow generator, so as to promote the decompression boiling of the refrigerant in the swirl flow generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Inventors: Youhei NAGANO, Haruyuki NISHIJIMA, Yoshiyuki YOKOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20170307259
    Abstract: When intended to increase a refrigerant discharge capacity of a compressor in an ejector refrigeration cycle device at start-up of the compressor, the refrigerant discharge capacity is increased in such a manner that an increase amount in the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor per predetermined time period is lower than a maximum capacity increase amount per predetermined time period enabled by the compressor. Thus, even if a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into a refrigerant inflow passage forming a swirling-flow generating portion, the flow velocity of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is prevented from becoming high, so that it can reduce friction noise that would be caused when the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant inflow passage, further suppressing the generation of noise from the ejector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: Yoshinori ARAKI, Toshiyuki TASHIRO, Masahiro YAMADA, Makoto KUME, Haruyuki NISHIJIMA, Youhei NAGANO, Yoshiyuki YOKOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20170299227
    Abstract: An ejector-type refrigeration cycle has a compressor, an ejector module, a discharge capacity control section, and a pressure difference determining section. The ejector module has a body providing a gas-liquid separating space. The pressure difference determining section determines whether a low pressure difference operating condition is met. The low pressure difference operating condition is an operating condition in which a pressure difference obtained by subtracting a low-pressure side refrigerant pressure from a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure a predetermined reference pressure difference or lower. The body is provided with an oil return passage that guides a part of a liquid-phase refrigerant to flow from the gas-liquid separating space to a suction side of the compressor. The discharge capacity control section sets a refrigerant discharge capacity to be a predetermined reference discharge capacity or higher when the low pressure difference operating condition is determined to be met.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto KUME, Masahiro YAMADA, Toshiyuki TASHIRO, Yoshinori ARAKI, Haruyuki NISHIJIMA, Youhei NAGANO, Yoshiyuki YOKOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20170297416
    Abstract: An ejector refrigeration cycle device includes: a radiator that dissipates heat from a refrigerant discharged from a compressor; an ejector module that decompresses the refrigerant cooled by the radiator; and an evaporator that evaporates a liquid-phase refrigerant separated in a gas-liquid separation space of the ejector module. A grille shutter is disposed as an inflow-pressure increasing portion between the radiator and a cooling fan blowing the outside air toward the radiator. The grille shutter is operated to decrease the volume of the outside air to be blown toward the radiator when an outside air temperature is equal to or lower than a reference outside air temperature, thereby increasing the pressure of the inflow refrigerant to flow into a nozzle passage of the ejector module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki TASHIRO, Masahiro YAMADA, Makoto KUME, Haruyuki NISHIJIMA, Youhei NAGANO, Yoshiyuki YOKOYAMA, Yoshinori ARAKI
  • Publication number: 20170232821
    Abstract: An ejector-type refrigeration cycle includes an ejector module integrated with a gas-liquid separation device. A length of an inlet pipe that connects a liquid-phase refrigerant outflow port of an ejector module to a refrigerant inflow port of an evaporator is shorter than a length of a suction pipe that connects a gas-phase refrigerant outflow port of the ejector module to a suction port of the compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi KATAOKA, Shun KURATA, Isamu TAKASUGI, Haruyuki NISHIJIMA, Youhei NAGANO, Yoshiyuki YOKOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20170232822
    Abstract: An ejector-type refrigeration cycle includes an ejector module integrated with a gas-liquid separation device. The ejector module is disposed outside an area that overlaps with an engine when viewed from a vehicular upper side. Further, the ejector module may be disposed outside an area overlapping with the engine when viewed from the vehicular front side, and the ejector module may be disposed outside of side members in a vehicle width direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: Isamu TAKASUGI, Hiroshi KATAOKA, Haruyuki NISHIJIMA, Yoshiyuki YOKOYAMA, Youhei NAGANO
  • Publication number: 20170225543
    Abstract: An ejector-type refrigeration cycle includes an ejector module integrated with a gas-liquid separation device. A length of a suction pipe that connects a gas-phase refrigerant outflow port of the ejector module to a suction port of a compressor is set to be shorter than a length of an outlet pipe that connects a refrigerant outflow port of an evaporator to a refrigerant suction port of the ejector module. A pressure loss that occurs when a refrigerant flows in the suction pipe may be set to be lower than a pressure loss that occurs when the refrigerant flows in an outlet pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Inventors: Shun KURATA, Yoshiyuki YOKOYAMA, Youhei NAGANO, Haruyuki NISHIJIMA, Isamu TAKASUGI, Hiroshi KATAOKA
  • Patent number: 9372014
    Abstract: An ejector-type refrigeration cycle device is provided with a first ejector (15) which draws refrigerant from a refrigerant suction port (15b, 24b) by using a high-speed refrigerant flow jetted from a nozzle part (15a, 24a), and a first suction-side evaporator (19) connected to the refrigerant suction port (15b) of the first ejector (15), and a second suction-side evaporator (27) connected to a refrigerant suction port (24b) of a second ejector (24). A flow amount of the refrigerant in the second ejector (24) is smaller than a flow amount of the refrigerant in the first ejector (15). The refrigerant branched at a branch part (Z2) that is positioned on a downstream refrigerant side of a radiator (13) and on an upstream refrigerant side of the first ejector (15) flows into the second ejector (24), and the refrigerant branched on a downstream refrigerant side of the second ejector (24) flows into the second suction-side evaporator (27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youhei Nagano, Mika Gocho, Yoshiaki Takano, Etsuhisa Yamada, Kazunori Mizutori
  • Publication number: 20140345318
    Abstract: An ejector-type refrigeration cycle device is provided with a first ejector (15) which draws refrigerant from a refrigerant suction port (15b, 24b) by using a high-speed refrigerant flow jetted from a nozzle part (15a, 24a), and a first suction-side evaporator (19) connected to the refrigerant suction port (15b) of the first ejector (15), and a second suction-side evaporator (27) connected to a refrigerant suction port (24b) of a second ejector (24). A flow amount of the refrigerant in the second ejector (24) is smaller than a flow amount of the refrigerant in the first ejector (15). The refrigerant branched at a branch part (Z2) that is positioned on a downstream refrigerant side of a radiator (13) and on an upstream refrigerant side of the first ejector (15) flows into the second ejector (24), and the refrigerant branched on a downstream refrigerant side of the second ejector (24) flows into the second suction-side evaporator (27).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2012
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youhei Nagano, Mika Gocho, Yoshiaki Takano, Etsuhisa Yamada, Kazunori Mizutori
  • Patent number: 8783060
    Abstract: A flow of refrigerant discharged from a first compressor and cooled by a radiator is branched by a first branch portion, and the branched refrigerant of one side is decompressed and expanded by a thermal expansion valve and is heat exchanged with the branched refrigerant of the other side in an inner heat exchanger. Therefore, the branched refrigerant of the other side supplied to the suction side evaporator and a nozzle portion of an ejector can be cooled, thereby improving COP. Furthermore, a suction port of a second compressor is coupled to an outlet side of the ejector so as to secure a drive flow of the ejector, and the refrigerant discharged from the second compressor and the refrigerant downstream of the thermal expansion valve are mixed to be drawn into the first compressor so that an ejector-type refrigerant cycle device can be operated stably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Haruyuki Nishijima, Etsuhisa Yamada, Youhei Nagano, Masami Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 8105050
    Abstract: A housing is configured into a tubular form and receives at least a portion of an ejector functional unit, which includes a nozzle and a body. A housing side opening radially penetrates through an outer peripheral wall surface and an inner peripheral wall surface of the housing and communicates with the fluid suction opening of the body. The housing side opening is adapted to join with a suction opening side external device, through which the fluid is drawn into the fluid suction opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuhisa Yamada, Haruyuki Nishijima, Kazunori Mizutori, Gouta Ogata, Hideya Matsui, Hiroshi Oshitani, Youhei Nagano
  • Publication number: 20110174015
    Abstract: An evaporator unit includes an ejector, an evaporator and a refrigerant pipe to connect a refrigerant outlet of the evaporator and a suction port of the ejector. The suction port draws refrigerant using high-speed refrigerant flow injected from a nozzle of the ejector. The ejector, the evaporator and the refrigerant pipe are integrated with each other into an integrated unit. The refrigerant outlet of the evaporator is located upper than the suction port of the ejector. The refrigerant pipe has a shape in a manner that refrigerant flows downward from the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator to the suction port of the ejector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2011
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youhei Nagano, Haruyuki Nishijima, Yoshiaki Takano
  • Publication number: 20110005268
    Abstract: In an ejector-type refrigeration cycle device provided with a first compression mechanism and a second compression mechanism, a refrigerant outlet of a suction side evaporator is coupled to a refrigerant suction port of the ejector, and a second compression mechanism is provided between the suction side evaporator and the refrigerant suction port of the ejector. Thus, even in an operation condition in which suction capacity of the ejector is decreased in accordance with a decrease of the flow amount of a drive flow of the ejector, the suction capacity of the ejector can be supplemented by the operation of the second compression mechanism. Accordingly, even when a variation in the flow amount of the drive flow is caused, the ejector-type refrigeration cycle device can be stably operated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Oshitani, Kenichi Fujiwara, Haruyuki Nishijima, Etsuhisa Yamada, Tooru Ikemoto, Youhei Nagano
  • Publication number: 20100162751
    Abstract: A flow of refrigerant discharged from a first compressor and cooled by a radiator is branched by a first branch portion, and the branched refrigerant of one side is decompressed and expanded by a thermal expansion valve and is heat exchanged with the branched refrigerant of the other side in an inner heat exchanger. Therefore, the branched refrigerant of the other side supplied to the suction side evaporator and a nozzle portion of an ejector can be cooled, thereby improving COP. Furthermore, a suction port of a second compressor is coupled to an outlet side of the ejector so as to secure a drive flow of the ejector, and the refrigerant discharged from the second compressor and the refrigerant downstream of the thermal expansion valve are mixed to be drawn into the first compressor so that an ejector-type refrigerant cycle device can be operated stably.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haruyuki Nishijima, Etsuhisa Yamada, Youhei Nagano, Masami Taniguchi
  • Publication number: 20090297367
    Abstract: A housing is configured into a tubular form and receives at least a portion of an ejector functional unit, which includes a nozzle and a body. A housing side opening radially penetrates through an outer peripheral wall surface and an inner peripheral wall surface of the housing and communicates with the fluid suction opening of the body. The housing side opening is adapted to join with a suction opening side external device, through which the fluid is drawn into the fluid suction opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Etsuhisa Yamada, Haruyuki Nishijima, Kazunori Mizutori, Gouta Ogata, Hideya Matsui, Hiroshi Oshitani, Youhei Nagano