Patents by Inventor Akikazu Kojima

Akikazu Kojima 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: 5672324
    Abstract: An electric heater comprises a central electrode and a ring electrode with a honeycomb heat generator disposed therebetween. The honeycomb heat generator is formed by winding a conductive foil strip around the central electrode until the size of the rolled honeycomb body just fits to the ring electrode. The surface of the conductive foil strip is coated by an insulating material, thereby preventing a short circuit between two layers of the conductive foil strip wound around the central electrode. A plurality of bonding parts are provided to electrically connect adjacent layers of the conductive foil strip wound around the central electrode. The bonding parts are disposed along a plurality of bonding lines extending across the layers of the conductive foil strip. The bonding parts are disposed on every other bonding line along each layer of the conductive foil strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Atsuya Okamoto, Akikazu Kojima, Niro Takaki, Kiyohiko Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5617995
    Abstract: In a combustion heater, at the time of ignition, a fuel supply amount is increased in a stepwise fashion. On the other hand, at the time of extinction, the fuel supply amount is decreased in a stepwise fashion. The fuel supply amount is increased stepwise using different fuel increasing amounts or different fuel increasing periods, both depending on heat quantities generated by a burner at respective fuel increasing time points. At the time of extinction, the fuel supply amount and an air supply amount are both reduced to given values, respectively, and held at the given values for a given time period. After lapse of the given time period, the fuel supply amount is reduced to zero, while the air supply amount is held at the given value for a further given time period. The air supply amount is changed with a given time delay relative to a change of the fuel supply amount. The time delay may be adjusted depending on a temperature in the burner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignee: Nippon Soken Inc
    Inventors: Masanori Yasuda, Sadahisa Onimaru, Takashi Inoue, Hiroshi Okada, Akikazu Kojima, Niro Takaki
  • Patent number: 5458673
    Abstract: For regenerating an exhaust gas particulate collecting filter, there is provided an exhaust gas particulate purifying process in which damage to the filter caused by a thermal action can be prevented and further electric power can be saved when an electric current supply to an electric heater attached to the filter is controlled. In the filter container (4), an electric heater (21) is provided on an end surface of the filter on an upstream side with respect to a regenerating gas flow, or provided at a position close to the end surface. Also, a temperature sensor (22) for measuring a temperature of the filter is provided inside the filter or at a position close to an end surface of the filter opposite to the aforementioned end surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1995
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Mitsuo Inagaki, Shinji Miyoshi, Fumiaki Arikawa, Takayuki Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 5305602
    Abstract: A device for removing for particulates a diesel engine having a filter arranged in the flow of the exhaust gas, a heater for heating the filter, and an air pump or obtaining a flow of air for incineration of the particulates trapped by the filter when it is clogged. The amount of the air for the incineration of the filter is calculated in accordance with the amount of the particulates remaining in the filter at the peripheral zone thereof just after the preceding incineration cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1994
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Shinji Miyoshi, Mitsuo Inagaki
  • Patent number: 5171335
    Abstract: A filter for collecting fine particles in exhaust gas is equipped with: a multitude of cells bordering on each other and allowing exhaust gas to flow therethrough; cell partitions separating these multitude of cells from each other and having a multitude of pores through which the multitude of cells communicate with each other; and stop sections provided in the end portions of the multitude of cells so as to cause the exhaust gas introduced into each of the cells at one end thereof to flow into the adjacent cells through the pores of the cell partitions and be discharged at the other end of the cell. These stop sections are so arranged that the amount of exhaust gas entering the cells at the central region of one of the end portions is smaller than that at the peripheral region of the same. With this construction, the amount of fine particles accumulated in the peripheral filter region is relatively large, and that in the central filter region is relatively small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Shinji Miyoshi, Mitsuo Inagaki
  • Patent number: 5165878
    Abstract: A multiple-turn scroll compressor has a first scroll member and a second scroll member. Each of the scroll members has a scroll blade which is engaged with the other. A shaft has an eccentric portion which supports the first scroll member. A cylindrical guide is provided rotatably on a housing and has a guide groove at one end. A slider fixed on the first scroll member engages with the guide groove and slides on it. Driving forces are transmitted from the shaft to the first scroll member through the eccentric portion. The first scroll member is prevented from rotating on its own axis by the engagement of the cylindrical guide and slider but not from orbiting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1992
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc
    Inventors: Mitsuo Inagaki, Hideaki Sasaya, Akikazu Kojima
  • Patent number: 5144798
    Abstract: A particulate trap filter is provided with an electric heater for burning out particulates accumulated therein. The electric heater is provided as a wiring pattern such that a higher power efficiency is provided for the portion corresponding to the portion of the filter located away from the center of the filter and a relatively lower power efficiency is provided for the portion corresponding to the central portion of the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Shinji Miyoshi, Mitsuo Inagaki
  • Patent number: 5094997
    Abstract: A porous support of the present invention comprises a laminate which is formed by laminating a corrugated sheet, in which high and low wave portions coexist, and a flat sheet, and which is wound into a spiral form. The porous support is particularly used as a catalyst support for purifying automobile exhaust gas. Appropriate combination of the high and the low wave portions in the corrugated sheet permits the selection of any one of various cross-sectional forms such as a conventional circular form, a race track-like form, a broad bean-like form, a triangular form and other suitable forms. The degree of freedom of the form can be thus increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Mitsuo Inagaki, Sigeru Kamiya
  • Patent number: 5022826
    Abstract: A variable capacity type swash plate compressor has a shaft, a swash plate, pistons functionally connected with the swash plate, and a detector for detecting the reciprocating stroke of the piston. The reciprocating stroke of the piston is varied in accordance with an inclining angle of the swash plate in such a manner that a top dead point of the piston at a working chamber defined at one end of the piston is substantially constant. The detector detects the change of the width of the reciprocating stroke of the piston and calculating the capacity of the compressor. The detector employs a plurality of magnets provided on a center portion of the piston and an electromagnetic sensor provided on a cylinder block for facing to the magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1991
    Assignees: Nippondenso Co., Ltd., Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikio Matsuda, Mitsuo Inagaki, Ikuo Hayashi, Masahiro Goto, Akikazu Kojima, Toshiki Taya, Nobuhiro Miura
  • Patent number: 4963074
    Abstract: A swash plate type compressor has a rotary shaft, an inclined swash plate for rotation with the shaft, and a plurality of pistons connected to the swash plate. Each piston defines at both ends thereof a pair of working chambers. The piston reciprocates while being subjected to a swing motion concomitant with the rotation of the swash plate, to suck a fluid into the working chambers for compression. The swash plate is mounted on the shaft through a support unit which serves to selectively vary the inclination of the swash plate and shift the center of rotation of the swash plate along the shaft. The fluid is introduced from a suction passage through and around the swash plate to suction chambers formed adjacent the working chambers. A bypass passage is formed to directly communicate the suction passage with the suction chamber on one side of the shaft while bypassing the swash plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1990
    Assignees: Nippondenso Co., Ltd., Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Masami Sanuki, Fumihiro Itoigawa, Akikazu Kojima, Mitsuo Inagaki, Masanori Yasuda, Yoshiki Kurokawa, Kazuhito Miyagawa, Seiichiro Suzuki, Shigeki Iwanami, Shiro Kawasaki, Nobuhiro Miura
  • Patent number: 4932843
    Abstract: A variable displacement swash-plate type compressor has a swash plate rockably carried by a shaft, and a spool for changing the angle of tilt of the swash plate and also the position of the center of the swash plate, thereby to vary the displacement of the compressor. The compressor has a control valve which determines a control pressure to be supplied to a control pressure chamber behind the spool, between the level of a low-pressure introduced from a low-pressure side of the compressor and a high-pressure introduced from a high-pressure side of the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1990
    Assignees: Nippondenso Co., Ltd., Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Fumihiro Itoigawa, Mitsuo Inagaki, Shigeki Iwanami, Yoshiki Kurokawa, Akikazu Kojima
  • Patent number: 4886423
    Abstract: A variable displacement swash-plate type compressor suitable for use as a refrigerant compressor of an automotive air conditioner has a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinder bores each slidably receiving a double-headed piston, a shaft driven by an automotive engine, a swash plate tiltably mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith to reciprocatorily move the pistons, and a spool for moving the swash plate axially of the shaft and changing the angle of tilt of the swash plate. The swash plate and the shaft are connected in such a manner that, when the swash plate is axially moved while changing its tilting angle, the position of stroke end of each piston is changed only in a working chamber on one end of the piston, whereas no change in the position of the stroke end occurs in the other working chamber on the other end of the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1989
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Mitsuo Inagaki, Hideaki Sasaya, Taro Tanaka, Akikazu Kojima
  • Patent number: 4685290
    Abstract: In order to provide a function of eliminating minute particles in exhaust gas to a control apparatus of an internal combustion engine, a filter temperature sensor, inserted in an exhaust path, for measuring a temperature of a filter for trapping minute particles of an exhaust gas, an electric heater for removing the minute particles deposited on the filter by combustion, and a control circuit are provided. In the control circuit, filter recovery is detected, a preheating instruction for raising the filter temperature is generated in accordance with the detection result, completion of the preheating of the filter is decided, an instruction for changing an injection pattern of the fuel injection valve for preheating the filter is generated, and an ON signal is supplied to the electric heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1987
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Sigeru Kamiya, Akikazu Kojima, Yasuyuki Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 4558565
    Abstract: An exhaust gas cleaning device for collecting and burning off particulates within exhaust gases discharged from an internal combustion engine of an automobile or the like is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1985
    Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Shigeru Kamiya