Patents Assigned to Matsushita Refrigeration Company
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Patent number: 5983647Abstract: An insulated structure is formed by injection of a foamed thermal-insulating material created by foaming into a space between a plastic board and metal plate with a disposition of copper pipes. A non-halogenated organophosphorus compound having a molecular weight over 150 as an additive with an OH group as a functional group is mixed with the raw materials of the foamed thermal-insulating material including polyol, a foam stabilizer, a catalyst, a foaming agent having at least one component of hydrocarbon, and an organic polyisocyanates. By adding a non-halogenated organophosphorus compound, which has a molecular weight over 150 as an additive with an OH group as a functional group, the burning rate of the foamed thermal-insulating material becomes the same as that of the foamed thermal-insulating material which uses CFC11 as a foaming agent.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 1996Date of Patent: November 16, 1999Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Kazutaka Uekado, Yoshiyuki Tsuda, Hideo Nakamoto, Tomohisa Tenra
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Patent number: 5970733Abstract: When a lock detector detects a locked state of a DC motor in a starting stage, a torque increasing circuit immediately selects a starting sequence pattern of an output torque that is greater in magnitude by one preselected step, and outputs the selected output torque to a starting sequence controller, so that a compressor can be restarted speedily without repeating starting failures. A compressor, driven by a DC motor, has a shell of an internal pressure approximately equal to the pressure of an inhalation gas. An inverter is provided to make the speed of the DC motor variable. A rotational frequency setting circuit sets the rotational frequency of the DC motor to a frequency that is not greater than the frequency of a commercial power source when the internal temperature of a refrigerator is stabilized. By this construction, the power consumption can be remarkably reduced.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 1998Date of Patent: October 26, 1999Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Kouji Hamaoka, Keiji Ogawa, Koyo Shibuya, Takashi Satomura, Hideharu Ogahara, Yasuhiro Tsujii, Kazunori Kurimoto
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Patent number: 5918480Abstract: The invention provides an improved refrigerator incorporating a vegetable-storage chamber in which, using moisture-permeable films capable of automatically varying humid-permeability, humidity inside of a vegetable-storage container is automatically and securely controllable to prevent dewing symptom from being generated therein while always preserving high humidity suited for vegetables and other produce to make it possible to store.The inventive refrigerator incorporates a vegetable storage container 18 having open top-surface and provides a lid member 19 in close contact with and by way of covering the open top surface of the vegetable storage container 18. The lid member 19 is provided with moisture-permeable films 20 comprising a humid-vapor-permeable basic cloth 21 made from nylon or polyester resin and a hydrophilic shape-memory resin film 22 made from polyurethane resin or the like.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 1996Date of Patent: July 6, 1999Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Kohji Nagata, Masatoshi Inatani, Noriko Shinohara
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Patent number: 5885682Abstract: A vacuum heat insulation panel for refrigerators and freezers comprises a thin-box shaped enclosure (4) for controlling permeation of the open air, and therein a core member (2) with thermal insulating properties and a barium-lithium alloy getter (3) which has long life time as getter.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 1998Date of Patent: March 23, 1999Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Yasuaki Tanimoto, Noriyuki Miyaji
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Patent number: 5877226Abstract: A thermal insulating foamed material is a polyurethane foam having closed cells, and produced by mixing, agitating and foaming a polyol, a polyisocyanate, a foam stabilizer, a catalyst, a blowing agent and a carbon dioxide adsorbent. The carbon dioxide adsorbent is produced by mixing and granulating powders of at least one member of alkali metal hydroxides and alkaline-earth metal hydroxides and organic or inorganic powders having a water absorbing property and soaked with water in advance, and formed by a resin film, such as a methacrylic acid ester, which is permeable to carbon dioxide but hardly permeable to water.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 1998Date of Patent: March 2, 1999Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Yoshiyuki Tsuda, Kazutaka Uekado, Hideo Nakamoto, Tomohisa Tenra, Tsukasa Takushima
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Patent number: 5873489Abstract: A first commodities receiving plate (9, 62) is provided for holding commodities (4) stored on a pair of neighboring commodities storing paths. An operation member (17, 70) interlocked with a pivotal motion of the first commodities receiving plate (9, 62) is fixed to a driving shaft (13, 67) for pivoting the first commodities receiving plate (9, 62). A second commodities receiving plate (20, 73) is disposed on the sliding surface side of each of the commodities storing paths and on the rear side of the first commodities receiving plate (20, 73), with one side of the second commodities receiving plate (20, 73) supported by a shaft. When the second commodities receiving plate (20, 73) is caused to pivot and the other side thereof is moved upward, the first commodity is fed out to a commodities feed-out port while the second commodity is prevented from moving to the commodities feed-out port.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 1997Date of Patent: February 23, 1999Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Yoshiaki Ide, Yoshiyuki Nakamura, Ken Suwabe, Yoshiyuki Baba
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Patent number: 5857349Abstract: When a lock detector detects a locked state of a DC motor in a starting stage, a torque increasing circuit immediately selects a starting sequence pattern of an output torque that is greater in magnitude by one preselected step, and outputs the selected output torque to a starting sequence controller, so that a compressor can be restarted speedily without repeating starting failures. A compressor, driven by a DC motor, has a shell of an internal pressure approximately equal to the pressure of an inhalation gas. An inverter is provided to make the speed of the DC motor variable. A rotational frequency setting circuit sets the rotational frequency of the DC motor to a frequency that is not greater than the frequency of a commercial power source when the internal temperature of a refrigerator is stabilized. By this construction, the power consumption can be remarkably reduced.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 1996Date of Patent: January 12, 1999Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Kouji Hamaoka, Keiji Ogawa, Koyo Shibuya, Takashi Satomura, Hideharu Ogahara, Yasuhiro Tsujii, Kazunori Kurimoto
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Patent number: 5792801Abstract: A thermal insulating foamed material is a polyurethane foam having closed cells, and produced by mixing, agitating and foaming a polyol, a polyisocyanate, a foam stabilizer, a catalyst, a blowing agent and a carbon dioxide adsorbent. The carbon dioxide adsorbent is produced by mixing and granulating powders of at least one member of alkali metal hydroxides and alkaline-earth metal hydroxides and organic or inorganic powders having a water absorbing property and soaked with water in advance, and formed by a resin film, such as a methacrylic acid ester, which is permeable to carbon dioxide but hardly permeable to water.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 1996Date of Patent: August 11, 1998Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Yoshiyuki Tsuda, Kazutaka Uekado, Hideo Nakamoto, Tomohisa Tenra, Tsukasa Takushima
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Patent number: 5773482Abstract: There are disclosed a thermal insulating foamed material, which is superior in thermal insulating property and does not cause deterioration of the thermal insulating property with a time lapse, and a method for producing the same. According to a method for producing a thermal insulating foamed material, a foamed polyurethane resin composition having closed cells, in which at least carbon dioxide is filled, is formed by blowing a raw material mixture containing epoxides comprising at least two members of an epoxide compound having high reactivity with carbon dioxide and an epoxide compound having low reactivity with carbon dioxide, a carbon dioxide fixation catalyst, polyisocyanate, a reactive blowing agent which evolves carbon dioxide by reacting with said polyisocyanate, and a polyol composition. Then, the carbon dioxide in the closed cells is allowed to react with the epoxides in the presence of the carbon dioxide fixation catalyst, thereby to fix carbon dioxide as carbonate compounds.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 1997Date of Patent: June 30, 1998Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Takayoshi Ueno, Takashi Hashida, Masaaki Suzuki, Fumihiro Inagaki, Nobuo Sonoda, Hideo Nakamoto, Tomohisa Tenra, Tsukasa Takushima, Yoshio Kishimoto
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Patent number: 5721285Abstract: The present invention provides a thermal insulating foamed material with excellent thermal insulating properties and a method of manufacturing the same. The method comprises the steps of: concurrently mixing and blowing a polyurethane material to produce a foamed polyurethane resin composition with a multiplicity of closed cells, the polyurethane material including a reactive blowing agent, a volatile compound having a boiling point of not higher than 150.degree. C. and a molecular weight of not less than 70, an epoxy compound, and a carbon dioxide fixation catalyst, wherein the closed cells are filled with the volatile compound and carbon dioxide produced by a reaction of the reactive blowing agent with a polyisocyanate; and allowing the carbon dioxide to chemically react with epoxy groups of the epoxy compound in the presence of the carbon dioxide fixation catalyst to form a solid or liquid cyclic carbonate.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 1996Date of Patent: February 24, 1998Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Hideo Nakamoto, Tomohisa Tenra, Tsukasa Takushima, Takayoshi Ueno, Masaaki Suzuki, Fumihiro Inagaki, Takashi Hashida, Yoshio Kishimoto
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Patent number: 5687582Abstract: A refrigeration system uses a refrigerant which contains, as a main component, hydrocarbon or HFC-152a. A fluid tube, such as, a gas charge port tube is hermetically connected to a refrigerant flow passage in the refrigeration system for filling at least the refrigerant into the refrigerant flow passage. The fluid tube is sealed against leakage of the refrigerant from the refrigerant flow passage by means of a pinched portion and a squashed portion of a flat-plate shape which extends from the pinched portion to a distal end thereof. The squashed portion may be folded at a plurality of portions for enhancing the sealing effect. Further, instead of the squashed portion, an adhesive may be used for reinforcing the sealing effect provided by the pinched portion. Alternatively or with the use of the adhesive, an elastomer may be used for reinforcing the sealing effect provided by the pinched portion.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 1997Date of Patent: November 18, 1997Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Masao Mangyo, Takao Kawashima, Yuji Mori
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Patent number: 5646499Abstract: An inverter control apparatus for controlling a command frequency and a command voltage which are supplied to an inverter which then supplies AC power of a desired frequency, accordingly, to an induction motor. The inverter control apparatus receives a requested rotational speed of the motor and an actual rotational speed of the motor is obtained by detecting a frequency of a fluctuation component of a drive current supplied from the inverter to the induction motor. The difference between the requested rotational speed and the actual rotational speed represents a slip amount, which is added to the requested rotational speed to produce a command frequency. The command voltage is set to a voltage acquired when the monitored drive current is at a minimum value.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 1995Date of Patent: July 8, 1997Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd., Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Yoshiaki Doyama, Keizo Matsui, Yoshiteru Ito, Kaneharu Yoshioka, Hideo Ogata, Izumi Yoshida, Shusaku Watakabe
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Patent number: 5606867Abstract: A refrigeration system uses a refrigerant which contains, as a main component, hydrocarbon or HFC-152a. A fluid tube, such as, a gas charge port tube is hermetically connected to a refrigerant flow passage in the refrigeration system for filling at least the refrigerant into the refrigerant flow passage. The fluid tube is sealed against leakage of the refrigerant from the refrigerant flow passage by means of a pinched portion and a squashed portion of a flat-plate shape which extends from the pinched portion to a distal end thereof. The squashed portion may be folded at a plurality of portions for enhancing the sealing effect. Further, instead of the squashed portion, an adhesive may be used for reinforcing the sealing effect provided by the pinched portion. Alternatively or with the use of the adhesive, an elastomer may be used for reinforcing the sealing effect provided by the pinched portion.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 1995Date of Patent: March 4, 1997Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Masao Mangyo, Takao Kawashima, Yuji Mori
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Patent number: 5577391Abstract: A refrigeration system uses a refrigerant which contains, as a main component, hydrocarbon or HFC-152a. A fluid tube, such as, a gas charge port tube is hermetically connected to a refrigerant flow passage in the refrigeration system for filling at least the refrigerant into the refrigerant flow passage. The fluid tube is sealed against leakage of the refrigerant from the refrigerant flow passage by means of a pinched portion and a squashed portion of a flat-plate shape which extends from the pinched portion to a distal end thereof. The squashed portion may be folded at a plurality of portions for enhancing the sealing effect. Further, instead of the squashed portion, an adhesive may be used for reinforcing the sealing effect provided by the pinched portion. Alternatively or with the use of the adhesive, an elastomer may be used for reinforcing the sealing effect provided by the pinched portion.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 1994Date of Patent: November 26, 1996Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Masao Mangyo, Takao Kawashima, Yuji Mori
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Patent number: 5562427Abstract: A porous filter having a pore size of no more than 80 .mu.m is provided in a refrigerant flow passage of a refrigeration system. The filter may be provided in a drier provided in the refrigerant flow passage or in a separate filter casing provided in the refrigerant flow passage. Alternatively, the filter may be provided in the refrigerant flow passage within a sealed casing of a refrigerant compressor which is incorporated in the refrigeration system. The filter is formed of a molded solid material constituted by alumina, silica gel, calcium sulfide and aluminosilicate.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 1994Date of Patent: October 8, 1996Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Masao Mangyo, Seishi Nakaoka, Shuichi Yakushi, Shinya Ito, Takao Kawashima, Satoshi Wada, Hideki Kawai
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Patent number: 5558508Abstract: An elongated recess is provided on one side of a valve plate, and a piston is provided on the other side of the valve plate. Discharge holes are provided through the valve plate at the recess, and a pair of discharge reeds are disposed within the recess to close/open the discharge holes. A spring reed presses against the discharge reeds on sides thereof opposite to the discharge holes to close the discharge holes. A stopper is secured to the valve plate and fixes the spring reed into position. The operation of the discharge reed can be tested by the operation of the discharge reed alone, and refrigerant gas remaining in the discharge holes can be reduced, thereby improving compression efficiency. The two discharge holes are each associated with one of the pair of discharge reeds, thereby preventing over-compression loss.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 1993Date of Patent: September 24, 1996Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Hiroshi Sasano, Koshi Hamada, Akihiko Kubota
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Patent number: 5557945Abstract: A filter formed of a filter material, such as, fluororesin, cellulose ester, polycarbonate or silica fiber is provided in a refrigerant flow passage of a refrigeration system. In the refrigerant flow passage, the filter is sandwiched by porous members, or the filter is attached to a porous member by means of, such as, heat sealing. The filter may be provided in a drier provided in the refrigerant flow passage. Alternatively, the filter may be provided in the refrigerant flow passage within a sealed casing of a refrigerant compressor which is incorporated in the refrigeration system.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 1994Date of Patent: September 24, 1996Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Masao Mangyo, Sinya Ito, Seishi Nakaoka
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Patent number: 5554016Abstract: A hermetic compressor for use in refrigeration systems is provided. The hermetic compressor includes a compressor unit disposed within an enclosed compressor casing. The compressor unit has a compression chamber and a valve assembly having an inlet port arranged to introduce refrigerant into the compression chamber and an outlet port for discharging the refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber. The valve assembly includes a valve plate, a single outlet reed valve, and a spring member. The valve plate has formed therein a recessed portion in which the outlet port is formed. The outlet reed valve has a supporting portion and a valve portion for selectively opening and closing the outlet port according to a pressure level of the refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber. The recessed portion has protrusions to define an outlet reed valve housing in which the supporting portion of the valve portion of the outlet reed valve is secured.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 1994Date of Patent: September 10, 1996Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Hiroshi Sasano, Masao Mangyo, Koshi Hamada, Akihiko Kubota
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Patent number: 5542266Abstract: A refrigerating system is provided which includes a refrigerating line through which refrigerant flows, a refrigerant compressor for circulating the refrigerant through the refrigerating line, and an oil separation passage connected to the refrigerant compressor. The refrigerant compressor includes an enclosed chamber storing therein a refrigeration oil insoluble in the refrigerant. The oil separation passage directs the refrigerant introduced from an inlet port of the refrigerant compressor to an outlet port through the enclosed chamber for separating the refrigeration oil contained in the refrigerant entering from the inlet port.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 1994Date of Patent: August 6, 1996Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Etsuro Suzuki, Hideki Kawai, Hiroki Awashima
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Patent number: 5520453Abstract: The present invention relates to a heat insulating door wall structure for use in a refrigerator or the like. By constituting the surface of the door with a colored glass plate or the like having a transparent layer at its front surface and a colored layer at its reverse surface, a deep luster is provided by the transparent glass plate located before the colored layer. Owing to high rigidity of the glass plate, undulations that may be formed on the front surface of the door by contraction of a heat insulating material filled through expansion or foaming, or by warping of the door due to temperature differences between the exterior and interior of the door are advantageously prevented. Moreover, by increasing the strength of the door, reinforcing members of the door can be dispensed with, for a simple construction and a reduction in cost.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 1994Date of Patent: May 28, 1996Assignee: Matsushita Refrigeration CompanyInventors: Takashi Aoki, Kouji Yamamoto, Kouji Maeda, Takuya Matsumoto