Patents by Inventor Yuhei Kunikata

Yuhei Kunikata 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: 20230141026
    Abstract: A flow path switching device includes: a first passage portion; a second passage portion; a first cover member attached to the first passage portion; and a second cover member attached to the second passage portion. The first passage portion includes a first passage connected to a fluid circuit and having a groove shape. The second passage portion includes a second passage connected to the fluid circuit to communicate with the first passage at a plurality of places and having a groove shape. The first passage portion, the second passage portion, and a drive unit are stacked in this order. The first cover member includes: a sealing portion to seal an opened portion of the first passage; and an opening arranged along an outer edge of the opened portion of the first passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2023
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventors: Tomohiro Hayase, Nobuharu Kakehashi, Yuhei Kunikata
  • Patent number: 9458792
    Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery device includes: a heating part for exchanging heat between a heating fluid and a working fluid; and a condensing part for exchanging heat between the working fluid evaporated by the heating part and a heated fluid to thereby condense the working fluid. The heating part has a tube in which the working fluid flows and whose upper end portion in a vertical direction is opened and whose lower end portion in the vertical direction is closed. The heating part has a storing part provided on an upper side in the vertical direction thereof, the storing part having a tube joint part to which the upper end portion in the vertical direction of the tube is joined and storing the working fluid condensed by the condensing part. The storing part has a condensed liquid holding part for holding the condensed working fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenta Ueda, Yasutoshi Yamanaka, Yuhei Kunikata, Yuuki Mukoubara, Isao Tamada
  • Publication number: 20150226154
    Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery device includes: a heating part for exchanging heat between a heating fluid and a working fluid, which is enclosed therein and can be evaporated and condensed, to thereby evaporate the working fluid; and a condensing part for exchanging heat between the working fluid evaporated by the heating part and a heated fluid to thereby condense the working fluid. The heating part has a tube in which the working fluid flows and whose upper side end portion in a vertical direction is opened and whose lower side end portion in the vertical direction is closed. The heating part has a storing part provided on an upper side in the vertical direction thereof, the storing part having a tube joint part to which the upper side end portion in the vertical direction of the tube is joined and storing the working fluid condensed by the condensing part. The storing part has a condensed liquid holding part for holding the working fluid condensed by the condensing part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Inventors: Kenta Ueda, Yasutoshi Yamanaka, Yuhei Kunikata, Yuuki Mukoubara, Isao Tamada
  • Patent number: 7497287
    Abstract: In a ventilation duct of a cooling system, a level difference is formed between a wall located on a vehicle front side and a wall located on a vehicle rear side because a bottom end of the wall located on the vehicle front side is lower than a bottom end of the wall located on the vehicle rear side. The level difference makes a speed of a traveling wind flowing near an outlet faster than that flowing away from the outlet. Therefore, a pressure of the traveling wind flowing near the outlet decreases. As a result, air flows in the ventilation duct to be drawn to the neighborhood of the low-pressure outlet, and discharged out. Because cooling air including the traveling wind can be increased, heat radiation capacity of a radiator disposed in the ventilation duct is improved, and the cooling capacity of the cooling system can also be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuhei Kunikata, Akihiro Maeda, Toshiki Sugiyama, Jun Hoshi
  • Patent number: 7451844
    Abstract: A front end structure of a vehicle surrounding heat exchangers with ducts to thereby improve the heat exchangers in cooling ability, that is, a front end structure of a vehicle provided with heat exchangers positioned in an engine compartment in which an engine is mounted and exchanging heat between air and a heat medium, wherein the heat exchangers are surrounded by duct members sticking out to the vehicle front side, preventing hot air in the engine compartment from reaching the front end sides of the heat exchangers, and guiding air present at the vehicle front side to the heat exchangers and wherein among the duct members, a bottom duct positioned at the vehicle bottom side is formed with first through holes running through the vehicle in the up-down direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yuhei Kunikata
  • Patent number: 7290630
    Abstract: In a front end structure of a vehicle, a heat exchanger is arranged at a position lower than a bumper reinforcement member, so a position of an engine hood is lowered. Electric auxiliary devices such as a radar, electronic control units for lights, and an air cleaner are arranged at a position higher than the bumper reinforcement member or at the rear of the bumper reinforcement member. By this arrangement, the electric auxiliary devices are arranged at a position which is less likely to be affected by the bumper reinforcement member in a case of light frontal crush.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Maeda, Yuhei Kunikata, Toshiki Sugiyama
  • Publication number: 20070068716
    Abstract: A front end structure of a vehicle surrounding heat exchangers with ducts to thereby improve the heat exchangers in cooling ability, that is, a front end structure of a vehicle provided with heat exchangers positioned in an engine compartment in which an engine is mounted and exchanging heat between air and a heat medium, wherein the heat exchangers are surrounded by duct members sticking out to the vehicle front side, preventing hot air in the engine compartment from reaching the front end sides of the heat exchangers, and guiding air present at the vehicle front side to the heat exchangers and wherein among the duct members, a bottom duct positioned at the vehicle bottom side is formed with first through holes running through the vehicle in the up-down direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2006
    Publication date: March 29, 2007
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuhei Kunikata
  • Patent number: 7150335
    Abstract: In a front end structure of a vehicle, a front end panel and a fan shroud are provided as separate parts. The front end panel and the fan shroud form labyrinthine gap structure between them. The labyrinthine gap structure restricts air from leaking or entering through a space between the front end panel and the fan shroud. Accordingly, a heat exchanging performance of a heat exchanger is not decreased. Also, the front end panel and the fan shroud are separately exchangeable or repairable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Norihisa Sasano, Yuhei Kunikata
  • Patent number: 6966362
    Abstract: In a cooling device, a condensation unit is constructed by stacking plural unit plates and two outer plates. The plural unit plates are superimposed in a plate-thickness direction between the outer plates, and three sheets of unit plates are also arranged in the planar direction. The radiating fins are provided such that the width of the base is substantially equal to the width of the unit plate, and are arranged in parallel on one of the outer plates in the same manner as the unit plate. According to this structure, the number of the unit plates arranged in parallel with the outer plates and the number of the radiating fins are increased or decreased, so that it is possible to easily change the size of a radiating unit in accordance with a necessary cooling capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tanaka, Takahide Ohara, Kazutaka Suzuki, Yuhei Kunikata, Hiroo Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20050056406
    Abstract: In a cooling device, a condensation unit is constructed by stacking plural unit plates and two outer plates. The plural unit plates are superimposed in a plate-thickness direction between the outer plates, and three sheets of unit plates are also arranged in the planar direction. The radiating fins are provided such that the width of the base is substantially equal to the width of the unit plate, and are arranged in parallel on one of the outer plates in the same manner as the unit plate. According to this structure, the number of the unit plates arranged in parallel with the outer plates and the number of the radiating fins are increased or decreased, so that it is possible to easily change the size of a radiating unit in accordance with a necessary cooling capacity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Publication date: March 17, 2005
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tanaka, Takahide Ohara, Kazutaka Suzuki, Yuhei Kunikata, Hiroo Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20050029027
    Abstract: In a ventilation duct of a cooling system, a level difference is formed between a wall located on a vehicle front side and a wall located on a vehicle rear side because a bottom end of the wall located on the vehicle front side is lower than a bottom end of the wall located on the vehicle rear side. The level difference makes a speed of a traveling wind flowing near an outlet faster than that flowing away from the outlet. Therefore, a pressure of the traveling wind flowing near the outlet decreases. As a result, air flows in the ventilation duct to be drawn to the neighborhood of the low-pressure outlet, and discharged out. Because cooling air including the traveling wind can be increased, heat radiation capacity of a radiator disposed in the ventilation duct is improved, and the cooling capacity of the cooling system can also be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Inventors: Yuhei Kunikata, Akihiro Maeda, Toshiki Sugiyama, Jun Hoshi
  • Publication number: 20050023057
    Abstract: In a front end structure of a vehicle, a heat exchanger is arranged at a position lower than a bumper reinforcement member, so a position of an engine hood is lowered. Electric auxiliary devices such as a radar, electronic control units for lights, and an air cleaner are arranged at a position higher than the bumper reinforcement member or at the rear of the bumper reinforcement member. By this arrangement, the electric auxiliary devices are arranged at a position which is less likely to be affected by the bumper reinforcement member in a case of light frontal crush.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2004
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Inventors: Akihiro Maeda, Yuhei Kunikata, Toshiki Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 6810947
    Abstract: In a cooling device, a condensation unit is constructed by stacking plural unit plates and two outer plates. The plural unit plates are superimposed in a plate-thickness direction between the outer plates, and three sheets of unit plates are also arranged in the planar direction. The radiating fins are provided such that the width of the base is substantially equal to the width of the unit plate, and are arranged in parallel on one of the outer plates in the same manner as the unit plate. According to this structure, the number of the unit plates arranged in parallel with the outer plates and the number of the radiating fins are increased or decreased, so that it is possible to easily change the size of a radiating unit in accordance with a necessary cooling capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tanaka, Takahide Ohara, Kazutaka Suzuki, Yuhei Kunikata, Hiroo Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20040211607
    Abstract: In a front end structure of a vehicle, a front end panel and a fan shroud are provided as separate parts. The front end panel and the fan shroud form labyrinthine gap structure between them. The labyrinthine gap structure restricts air from leaking or entering through a space between the front end panel and the fan shroud. Accordingly, a heat exchanging performance of a heat exchanger is not decreased. Also, the front end panel and the fan shroud are separately exchangeable or repairable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Inventors: Norihisa Sasano, Yuhei Kunikata
  • Patent number: 6742574
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus 1 boiling and condensing refrigerant is constructed to have a stacked construction by stacking a plurality of pressed members 3 and comprises a refrigerant tank portion, a heat exchanging portion and a refrigerant diffusing portion. First openings for passing refrigerant and second openings for passing cooling water are formed in the pressed members 3 used for the heat exchanging portion and the first openings communicate with internal spaces formed in the refrigerant tank portion and the refrigerant diffusing portion. According to the construction, as the cooling apparatus has the stacked construction, tubes and fins that constitute a conventional heat dissipating portion can be eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hajime Sugito, Hiroyuki Osakabe, Shinichi Morihira, Takaki Okochi, Yuhei Kunikata
  • Patent number: 6719040
    Abstract: A first intermediate plate 5C adjacent to a heat receiving plate 5A and a second intermediate plate 5D adjacent to the first intermediate plate 5C are provided so that the slit width of the openings (first opening 5a) in the first intermediate plate 5C is wider than that (second opening 5b) in the second intermediate plate 5D. In this way, when the first intermediate plate 5C and the second intermediate 5D are stacked, a tunnel structure is formed in which the opening dimension L3 (the opening dimension of the second openings 5b) of the communicating sections through which the first openings 5a and the second openings 5b communicate with each other is smaller than the length L2 (the opening dimension of the first openings 5a) of the tunnel portions (L2>L3). Therefore, a heat-generating member with large density of heat generation can be effectively cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hajime Sugito, Hiroyuki Osakabe, Shinichi Morihira, Yuhei Kunikata
  • Publication number: 20030079863
    Abstract: A first intermediate plate 5C adjacent to a heat receiving plate 5A and a second intermediate plate 5D adjacent to the first intermediate plate 5C are provided so that the slit width of the openings (first opening 5a) in the first intermediate plate 5C is wider than that (second opening 5b) in the second intermediate plate 5D. In this way, when the first intermediate plate 5C and the second intermediate 5D are stacked, a tunnel structure is formed in which the opening dimension L3 (the opening dimension of the second openings 5b) of the communicating sections through which the first openings 5a and the second openings 5b communicate with each other is smaller than the length L2 (the opening dimension of the first openings 5a) of the tunnel portions (L2>L3). Therefore, a heat-generating member with large density of heat generation can be effectively cooled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2002
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Inventors: Hajime Sugito, Hiroyuki Osakabe, Shinichi Morihira, Yuhei Kunikata
  • Publication number: 20030070792
    Abstract: In a cooling device, a condensation unit is constructed by stacking plural unit plates and two outer plates. The plural unit plates are superimposed in a plate-thickness direction between the outer plates, and three sheets of unit plates are also arranged in the planar direction. The radiating fins are provided such that the width of the base is substantially equal to the width of the unit plate, and are arranged in parallel on one of the outer plates in the same manner as the unit plate. According to this structure, the number of the unit plates arranged in parallel with the outer plates and the number of the radiating fins are increased or decreased, so that it is possible to easily change the size of a radiating unit in accordance with a necessary cooling capacity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tanaka, Takahide Ohara, Kazutaka Suzuki, Yuhei Kunikata, Hiroo Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20030037908
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus 1 boiling and condensing refrigerant is constructed to have a stacked construction by stacking a plurality of pressed members 3 and comprises a refrigerant tank portion, a heat exchanging portion and a refrigerant diffusing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Inventors: Hajime Sugito, Hiroyuki Osakabe, Shinichi Morihira, Takaki Okochi, Yuhei Kunikata