Patents by Inventor Atsushi Inaba

Atsushi Inaba 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: 8984903
    Abstract: A refrigerant cycle device includes a first refrigerant passage for guiding refrigerant from a refrigerant radiator to an inlet side of an outdoor heat exchanger, a first throttle part capable of varying an opening area of the first refrigerant passage, a second refrigerant passage for guiding the refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger to a compressor-suction side, a first opening/closing part for opening/closing the second refrigerant passage, a third refrigerant passage for guiding the refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor-suction side via an evaporator, a second throttle part capable of varying an opening area of the third refrigerant passage, a bypass passage for guiding the refrigerant flowing between the refrigerant radiator and the first throttle part to a position between the outdoor heat exchanger and the second throttle part in the third refrigerant passage, and a second opening/closing part for opening/closing the bypass passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Itoh, Atsushi Inaba, Mikiharu Kuwahara
  • Publication number: 20140360215
    Abstract: When a refrigerant evaporation temperature of an interior evaporator cannot be set lower than a dew-point temperature of air flowing into the interior evaporator in a heating operation, a refrigerant circuit is switched to a normal heating operation mode in which a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the interior evaporator is set to zero by allowing the refrigerant to flow toward a bypass passage. In a case where the air cannot be dehumidified by the interior evaporator, an unnecessary heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant in the interior evaporator can be suppressed. Thus, the energy of the vehicle air conditioner can be effectively prevented from being wasted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventor: Atsushi Inaba
  • Publication number: 20140290772
    Abstract: A vapor-liquid separating space is provided in a body. The body houses a fixed throttle-decompressing liquid-phase refrigerant, and an integration valve member selectively opening or closing a liquid-phase refrigerant passage and a vapor-phase refrigerant passage. The integration valve member is moved by a stepping motor connected to the integration valve member via a shaft. Accordingly, a cycle configuration of a heat pump cycle working as a gas injection cycle can be simplified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Itou, Yukihiko Takeda, Teruyuki Hotta, Atsushi Inaba, Keiichi Yoshii, Shigeji Ohishi
  • Publication number: 20140238067
    Abstract: In an integration valve, a body, in which a vapor-liquid separating space is provided, includes a fixed throttle decompressing liquid-phase refrigerant, a liquid-phase refrigerant side valve body member opening or closing a liquid-phase refrigerant passage, and a vapor-phase refrigerant side valve body member opening or closing a vapor-phase refrigerant passage. Further, the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve body member is configured by a differential pressure regulating valve operated based on a pressure difference between a refrigerant pressure at a side of the vapor-phase refrigerant passage and a refrigerant pressure at a side of the liquid-phase refrigerant passage. The vapor-phase refrigerant side valve body member is movable when the liquid-phase refrigerant side valve body member is moved by a solenoid. Therefore, a cycle configuration of a heat pump cycle configuring a gas injection cycle can be simplified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Itou, Teruyuki Hotta, Atsushi Inaba, Yukihiko Takeda, Shigeji Ohishi, Keiichi Yoshii
  • Patent number: 8769984
    Abstract: A decompression device includes an upstream throttle portion, a middle passage portion and a downstream throttle portion, which are arranged within a body portion. The upstream throttle portion is a variable throttle including an upstream throttle passage in which the refrigerant is decompressed and expanded, and a valve body having an open degree adjusting portion configured to adjust an open degree of the upstream throttle passage. The downstream throttle portion is a fixed throttle for decompressing and expanding refrigerant flowing from the middle passage portion. Furthermore, a refrigerant passage defined from the upstream throttle portion to the downstream throttle portion through the middle passage portion is provided in the body portion, and is bent at least at a bent portion in which the refrigerant flow is bent in the body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Itou, Teruyuki Hotta, Atsushi Inaba
  • Publication number: 20140117104
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle includes: a heater core which heats air for air-conditioning by using cooling water of a cooling circuit which cools a fuel cell of a fuel cell vehicle or an engine of a hybrid car as a heat source; a heat exchanger arranged upstream of the heater core in a flow of the air for air-conditioning to heat the air for air-conditioning by using refrigerant which flows through a heat pump cycle as a heat source; and a control part which controls operation of the heat pump cycle in a manner that a target temperature of the air for air-conditioning heated by the heat exchanger is changed in accordance with a temperature of the cooling water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Inaba
  • Patent number: 8671707
    Abstract: A heat pump cycle includes a compressor having a suction port and a discharge port, a heating heat exchanger which heats air, a gas-liquid separator, and a cooling heat exchanger which cools air upstream of the heating heat exchanger in an air flow direction. The heat pump cycle further includes an intermediate pressure passage which guides gas refrigerant from the gas-liquid separator to the suction port. A variable open-close portion opens the intermediate pressure passage and decompresses the gas refrigerant in the intermediate pressure passage, so that the gas refrigerant is introduced into the suction port when a bypass dehumidifying-heating mode is selected as a dehumidifying-heating mode in which the air having been heated in the heating heat exchanger becomes equal to or higher than air in an air-conditioning target space in temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Inaba, Satoshi Itoh
  • Publication number: 20130312447
    Abstract: A heat pump cycle is capable of switching an operation mode to a cooling operation mode, a heating operation mode and a dehumidifying-heating operation mode, and is applicable to an air conditioning device. The heat pump cycle is configured to set both of a high-pressure side pressure reducing device and a low-pressure side pressure reducing deviceā€”in a throttled state and a fully open state. In this way, the heat pump cycle realizes cooling, heating, and dehumidifying-heating by a simple structure without providing separate refrigerant flow passages extended from a compressor to an outside heat exchanger based on the operation modes of the air conditioning device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Inaba, Satoshi Itoh
  • Publication number: 20130283835
    Abstract: A heat exchange system for realizing an adequate heat exchange among a plural type of fluids uses a refrigerant radiator and a radiator which are combined to have one unit for enabling heat exchange between a refrigerant and a coolant, and decreases an inflow amount of the coolant flowing into the radiator when coolant temperature of the coolant flowing into the radiator is equal to or higher than a second standard temperature, which is set to be lower than a temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant radiator, and is equal to or lower than a predetermined first standard temperature. In such manner, heat from the refrigerant is effectively transferred to an outside air by reducing an unwanted heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2011
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Katoh, Atsushi Inaba, Satoshi Itoh, Masahiro Shimoya
  • Patent number: 8422723
    Abstract: An elongated loudspeaker having high sound quality includes an elongated flat-plate-shaped diaphragm, a frame having an opening portion larger than the diaphragm, an edge placed between an inner periphery of the frame around the opening portion and an outer periphery of the diaphragm allowing the diaphragm to vibrate, a coupling cone extending from a rear surface of the diaphragm and including two elongated portions arranged parallel to a longitudinal direction of the diaphragm, a voice coil wound around at least the two elongated portions, and a magnetic circuit that imparts, to the voice coil, a driving force for generating sound. A distance between the two elongated portions of the coupling cone is smaller at end positions than at root positions. The elongated portions are shaped/sized such that the entire two elongated portions are included within magnetic gaps of the magnetic circuit when the coupling cone vibrates along with the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Takewa, Atsushi Inaba
  • Publication number: 20130055751
    Abstract: A refrigerant cycle device includes a compressor, a using-side heat exchanger which heats a heat-exchange fluid by performing heat exchange between the heat-exchange fluid and high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the compressor, an intermediate pressure passage through which intermediate-pressure gas refrigerant obtained by decompression of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the using-side heat exchanger is introduced into a intermediate pressure port of the compressor, an exterior heat exchanger which evaporates low-pressure refrigerant obtained by decompression of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the using-side heat exchanger and causes the evaporated refrigerant to flow toward a suction port of the compressor, and an auxiliary heater which heats the heat-exchange fluid before or at the same time as that the using-side heat exchanger heats the heat-exchange fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Inaba
  • Publication number: 20120266622
    Abstract: When a temperature of feed air blown into a space for air conditioning cannot be increased up to the target temperature in an indoor condenser of a heat pump cycle included in a gas injection cycle, the volume of the feed air flowing into the indoor condenser is decreased. Thus, the temperature of the refrigerant condensed by the indoor condenser is increased, while the amount of a compression work in a high-pressure side compression stage of the compressor is increased, which suppresses the lack of the heating capacity of the feed air blown into the space for air conditioning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Inaba, Satoshi Itoh
  • Publication number: 20120266624
    Abstract: A heat pump cycle includes a compressor having a suction port and a discharge port, a heating heat exchanger which heats air, a gas-liquid separator, and a cooling heat exchanger which cools air upstream of the heating heat exchanger in an air flow direction. The heat pump cycle further includes an intermediate pressure passage which guides gas refrigerant from the gas-liquid separator to the suction port. A variable open-close portion opens the intermediate pressure passage and decompresses the gas refrigerant in the intermediate pressure passage, so that the gas refrigerant is introduced into the suction port when a bypass dehumidifying-heating mode is selected as a dehumidifying-heating mode in which the air having been heated in the heating heat exchanger becomes equal to or higher than air in an air-conditioning target space in temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Inaba, Satoshi Itoh
  • Publication number: 20120255319
    Abstract: A refrigerant cycle device includes a first refrigerant passage for guiding refrigerant from a refrigerant radiator to an inlet side of an outdoor heat exchanger, a first throttle part capable of varying an opening area of the first refrigerant passage, a second refrigerant passage for guiding the refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger to a compressor-suction side, a first opening/closing part for opening/closing the second refrigerant passage, a third refrigerant passage for guiding the refrigerant from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor-suction side via an evaporator, a second throttle part capable of varying an opening area of the third refrigerant passage, a bypass passage for guiding the refrigerant flowing between the refrigerant radiator and the first throttle part to a position between the outdoor heat exchanger and the second throttle part in the third refrigerant passage, and a second opening/closing part for opening/closing the bypass passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Itoh, Atsushi Inaba, Mikiharu Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 8094864
    Abstract: A diaphragm unit is arranged to be used in a loudspeaker including a frame. The diaphragm includes a diaphragm and an edge joined to an outer periphery of the diaphragm. The diaphragm extends in a longitudinal direction and has a first center line extends along the longitudinal direction. The edge has an outer periphery being arranged to join to the frame, and an inner periphery joined to the outer periphery of the diaphragm. The edge has a convex surface having substantially a semi-circular cross section. The convex surface of the edge has grooves provided therein. The grooves extend from the inner periphery of the edge to the outer periphery of the edge. The grooves have cross sections each having a U-shape or a V-shape, and are arranged symmetrically about the first center line of the diaphragm. This diaphragm unit provides an elongated loudspeaker reproducing bass sounds with small distortions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Inaba, Hiroyuki Takewa
  • Publication number: 20110211725
    Abstract: There is provided an elongated loudspeaker having high sound quality that is unlikely to cause break-up resonances and is capable of obtaining flat frequency characteristics. The loudspeaker includes: an elongated flat-plate-shaped diaphragm; a frame having an opening portion larger than the diaphragm; an edge placed between an inner periphery of the frame around the opening portion and an outer periphery of the diaphragm and supporting and allowing the diaphragm to easily vibrate in an emission direction of sound waves; a coupling cone extending from a rear surface of the diaphragm and including two elongated portions arranged parallel to a longitudinal direction of the diaphragm, the coupling cone vibrating in conjunction with the diaphragm; a voice coil wound around at least the two elongated portions; and a magnetic circuit that imparts, to the voice coil, driving force for generating sound waves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Takewa, Atsushi Inaba
  • Patent number: 7992400
    Abstract: A complex fluid machine has an expansion-compressor device, a pump, and a motor generator, wherein the expansion-compressor device, the pump, and the motor generator are operatively connected and arranged in series, and a power transmitting device for disconnecting the pump from the motor generator, when the expansion-compressor device is driven by the motor generator so as to be operated as a compressor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Keiichi Uno, Hironori Asa, Yasuhiro Takeuchi, Hideji Yoshida, Akihiro Imura, Atsushi Inaba, Koichi Ban, Takashi Yamanaka, Shigeki Iwanami, Hiroshi Kishita, Hiroshi Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20110154853
    Abstract: A decompression device includes an upstream throttle portion, a middle passage portion and a downstream throttle portion, which are arranged within a body portion. The upstream throttle portion is a variable throttle including an upstream throttle passage in which the refrigerant is decompressed and expanded, and a valve body having an open degree adjusting portion configured to adjust an open degree of the upstream throttle passage. The downstream throttle portion is a fixed throttle for decompressing and expanding refrigerant flowing from the middle passage portion. Furthermore, a refrigerant passage defined from the upstream throttle portion to the downstream throttle portion through the middle passage portion is provided in the body portion, and is bent at least at a bent portion in which the refrigerant flow is bent in the body portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Itou, Teruyuki Hotta, Atsushi Inaba
  • Patent number: 7870733
    Abstract: It is an object to provide a fluid machine, which is simple in structure and in which lubricating oil containing smaller amount of the working fluid is supplied to sliding portions of an expansion device. The fluid machine has the expansion device for generating a driving force by expansion of the working fluid, which contains the lubricating oil and is heated to a gas phase condition. The fluid machine further has an electric power generating device driven by the driving force of the expansion device and generating electric power. An oil pooling portion is formed in a fluid passage, through which the working fluid discharged from the expansion device flows, such that the lubricating oil contained in the working fluid is brought into contact with at least one of sliding portions of the expansion device and the electric power generating device. And a heating unit is provided to heat the working fluid in the oil pooling portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignees: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Keiichi Uno, Hironori Asa, Yasuhiro Takeuchi, Hiroshi Ogawa, Hiroshi Kishita, Kazuhide Uchida, Yasuhiro Kawase, Atsushi Inaba
  • Patent number: 7748226
    Abstract: A waste heat collecting system for an internal combustion engine has an object to collect waste heat from the engine and make most use of the collected waste heat to achieve the maximum effect of improving fuel consumption ratio. The waste heat utilizing system has a waste heat collecting cycle for collecting waste heat from an internal combustion engine and having an expansion device for generating rotational driving force from the collected waste heat, a refrigerating cycle having a compressor device for compressing a refrigerant and a power transmitting means rotationally driven by a driving force generating means and operatively connected to the compressor device to rotationally drive the same. In this system, the expansion device is operatively connected to the compressor device to rotationally drive the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Hironori Asa, Keiichi Uno, Yasushi Suzuki, Shigeru Hisanaga, Atsushi Inaba, Koichi Ban, Takashi Yamanaka, Yasushi Yamanaka, Kazuhide Uchida, Tadashi Hotta