Patents by Inventor Akira IWAKAWA

Akira IWAKAWA 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: 20220180670
    Abstract: An electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a plurality of electric drive systems each including a drive motor for turning a rotor and a drive unit for driving the drive motor includes: a drive information detection unit that detects, for each of the plurality of electric drive systems, drive information including at least one of motor information serving as an indicator of the deterioration state of the drive motor and drive unit information serving as an indicator of the deterioration state of the drive unit; and a maintenance necessity detection unit that detects the necessity or lack of necessity of maintenance on each of the plurality of electric drive systems based on the detected drive information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Syun SUGITA, Akira IWAKAWA, Mariko HASHIMOTO, Yuuichi TAKEMURA
  • Publication number: 20220177123
    Abstract: A control device controls an electric drive system mounted on an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a rotor, and including a drive motor that turns the rotor. The control device controls the electric drive system to operate selectively in any one operation mode of at least two operation modes: a normal mode and a functional test mode. In the normal mode, the control device controls the drive motor in accordance with a command from a body control device that controls the flight of the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. In the functional test mode, the control device controls the drive motor in accordance with a command sent from outside according to a functional test program, or in accordance with the functional test program preset in the control device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mariko HASHIMOTO, Akira IWAKAWA, Syun SUGITA, Yuuichi TAKEMURA
  • Patent number: 10436183
    Abstract: A plasma accelerating apparatus includes: a cathode (11) configured to supply electrons to a plasma acceleration region; an anode (12); a power supply (13) configured to apply a voltage between the cathode and the anode; a supply port (14) arranged on an outer circumference side of the cathode to supply a propellant to the plasma acceleration region; and a first magnetic field generator (15) configured to generate a first axial direction magnetic field in the upstream side region of the plasma acceleration region to suppress electrons supplied from the cathode from heading for the anode. Thus, the plasma accelerating apparatus and the plasma accelerating method having high thrust efficiency is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignees: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION NAGOYA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Takuya Yamazaki, Matsutaka Sasahara, Tomoji Iwasaki, Masaaki Yasui, Akihiro Sasoh, Akira Iwakawa, Daisuke Ichihara, Keisuke Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20190010933
    Abstract: A plasma accelerating apparatus includes: a cathode (11) configured to supply electrons to a plasma acceleration region; a anode (12); a power supply (13) configured to apply a voltage between the cathode and the anode; a supply port (14) arranged on an outer circumference side than the cathode to supply a propellant to the plasma acceleration region; and a first magnetic field generator (15) configured to generate a first axial direction magnetic field in the upstream side region of the plasma acceleration region to suppress that the electrons supplied from the cathode head for the anode. Thus, the plasma accelerating apparatus and the plasma accelerating method having high thrust efficiency can be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Applicants: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., National University Corporation Nagoya University
    Inventors: Takuya YAMAZAKI, Matsutaka SASAHARA, Tomoji IWASAKI, Masaaki YASUI, Akihiro SASOH, Akira IWAKAWA, Daisuke ICHIHARA, Keisuke MIZUTANI