Patents by Inventor Azuma Kondou

Azuma Kondou 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: 20230235925
    Abstract: A refrigerant circuit includes a first compressor connected to a first suction pipe and a first discharge pipe and configured to compress a refrigerant, a second compressor connected to a second suction pipe and a second discharge pipe and configured to compress the refrigerant discharged from the first compressor, a radiator, and a high-pressure passage connecting the second discharge pipe and the radiator. A first oil drain passage guides an oil in the second compressor to one of the first suction pipe and an intermediate port of the first compressor, without via the high-pressure passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2023
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Azuma KONDOU, Takamasa ITOU, Chiharu TOMITA
  • Patent number: 11614264
    Abstract: An icemaking system includes: a refrigerant circuit that executes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle; a circulation circuit that circulates solution as a cooling target of the refrigerant circuit; and a control device that controls refrigerant evaporation temperature at the refrigerant circuit. The circulation circuit includes a solution flow path of: an ice generator; a solution tank that stores the solution; and a pump that pressure feeds the solution to the solution flow path. The refrigerant circuit includes: an evaporator of the ice generator; a compressor; a condenser; and an expansion valve. The control device includes a central processing unit (CPU) that adjusts to lower evaporation temperature at the evaporator as the solution has higher solute concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Azuma Kondou, Takeo Ueno, Shouhei Yasuda, Takahito Nakayama, Satoru Sakae
  • Patent number: 11326817
    Abstract: An ice making system includes: a refrigerant circuit that performs a vapor compression refrigeration cycle and that includes a compressor, a condenser that condenses refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a first expansion valve with an adjustable opening degree that decompresses the refrigerant from the condenser, a flooded evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by the first expansion valve, and a superheater that imparts a degree of superheating to the refrigerant discharged from the flooded evaporator; a circulation circuit that circulates a medium that is cooled by the flooded evaporator; and a control device that controls the adjustable opening degree of the first expansion valve such that the superheater imparts to the refrigerant discharged from the flooded evaporator a degree of superheating at which dryness of the refrigerant is kept within a predetermined range of less than 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kouichi Kita, Azuma Kondou, Shouhei Yasuda, Keisuke Nakatsuka, Kazuyoshi Nomura, Takeo Ueno
  • Patent number: 11300343
    Abstract: An icemaking system includes a circulation circuit configured to circulate icemaking solution, at least one icemaker provided in the circulation circuit, a cooling mechanism, a first detector and an adjuster. The icemaker includes a cooling chamber and a scraping mechanism. The cooling chamber has an inflow port and an exhaust port of solution, and the cooling chamber allows the solution to flow in the cooling chamber. The scraping mechanism scrapes ice generated on an inner surface of the cooling chamber. The cooling mechanism cools the solution in the cooling chamber. The first detector detects whether the inflow port of the cooling chamber has an ice nucleus. The adjuster adjusts a cooling temperature of the solution in accordance with a detection result of the first detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Kita, Azuma Kondou, Shunsuke Touya, Yuuya Seta, Shouhei Yasuda, Takeo Ueno
  • Patent number: 11274871
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigeration apparatus capable of reducing the leakage of a refrigerant even when a refrigerant leak occurs in a defrosting operation of a usage-side heat exchanger. When a refrigerant leak situation around a usage-side heat exchanger satisfies a predetermined leak condition in performing a defrosting operation with a connection state of a four-way switching valve brought into a defrosting connection state in which a heat source-side heat exchanger functions as an evaporator for a refrigerant and a usage-side heat exchanger functions as a radiator for the refrigerant, a controller performs density lowering control to lower a refrigerant density in the usage-side heat exchanger while maintaining the four-way switching valve at the defrosting connection state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Sakae, Azuma Kondou, Masaaki Takegami, Kazuyoshi Nomura
  • Publication number: 20220042733
    Abstract: An icemaking system includes a circulation circuit configured to circulate icemaking solution, at least one icemaker provided in the circulation circuit, a cooling mechanism, a first detector and an adjuster. The icemaker includes a cooling chamber and a scraping mechanism. The cooling chamber has an inflow port and an exhaust port of solution, and the cooling chamber allows the solution to flow in the cooling chamber. The scraping mechanism scrapes ice generated on an inner surface of the cooling chamber. The cooling mechanism cools the solution in the cooling chamber. The first detector detects whether the inflow port of the cooling chamber has an ice nucleus. The adjuster adjusts a cooling temperature of the solution in accordance with a detection result of the first detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Kouichi KITA, Azuma KONDOU, Shunsuke TOUYA, Yuuya SETA, Shouhei YASUDA, Takeo UENO
  • Patent number: 11118825
    Abstract: an ice making system includes a tank that stores a medium to be cooled, an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice, a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine, a de-icing mechanism that heats the medium and melts the ice in the ice making machine, and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes a cooling chamber that cools the medium, an inflow port through which the medium flows into the cooling chamber, and a discharge port through which the medium is discharged from the cooling chamber. The control device activates the de-icing mechanism when a pressure difference between a pressure of the medium at the inflow port and a pressure of the medium at the discharge port exceeds a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Azuma Kondou, Shouhei Yasuda, Takahito Nakayama, Kazuyoshi Nomura, Takeo Ueno
  • Patent number: 11015852
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigeration apparatus capable of, even in occurrence of a refrigerant leak, suppressing the extent of the refrigerant leak in continuously operating a usage unit other than a usage unit at which the refrigerant leak occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru Sakae, Azuma Kondou, Masaaki Takegami, Kazuyoshi Nomura
  • Patent number: 11015828
    Abstract: A refrigeration system includes a plurality of utilization units provided for one air conditioning target space, a refrigerant leakage sensor that detects a leakage of the refrigerant in a lower part of the air conditioning target space, and a control unit. In a case where the refrigerant leakage sensor detects the refrigerant leakage, the control unit performs detection standby control on the utilization units such that the supply of the refrigerant to utilization-side heat exchangers is temporarily stopped. In a case where the refrigerant leakage is detected based on the state quantity of the refrigerant corresponding to the utilization units under the detection standby control, the control unit stops the use of the utilization unit in which the refrigerant leakage has been detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru Sakae, Azuma Kondou
  • Patent number: 10995975
    Abstract: An ice making system includes: a tank that stores a medium to be cooled; an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice; a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine; a de-icing mechanism that performs a de-icing operation of heating and melting the medium in the ice making machine; and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes: a cooling chamber in which the medium is cooled; a blade mechanism that rotates in the cooling chamber and disperses the ice; a detector that detects a locked state of the blade mechanism; and a first temperature sensor that is disposed at a discharge port of the cooling chamber and detects a temperature of the medium discharged from the cooling chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Azuma Kondou, Takeo Ueno, Kouichi Kita, Ryouji Matsue, Satoru Ohkura
  • Publication number: 20210071927
    Abstract: An ice making system includes: a tank that stores a medium to be cooled; an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice; a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine; a de-icing mechanism that performs a de-icing operation of heating and melting the medium in the ice making machine; and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes: a cooling chamber in which the medium is cooled; a blade mechanism that rotates in the cooling chamber and disperses the ice; a detector that detects a locked state of the blade mechanism; and a first temperature sensor that is disposed at a discharge port of the cooling chamber and detects a temperature of the medium discharged from the cooling chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Azuma Kondou, Takeo Ueno, Kouichi Kita, Ryouji Matsue, Satoru Ohkura
  • Publication number: 20200386463
    Abstract: An ice making system includes a tank that stores a medium to be cooled, an ice making machine that cools the medium and makes ice, a pump that circulates the medium between the tank and the ice making machine, a de-icing mechanism that heats the medium and melts the ice in the ice making machine, and a control device that controls operations of the ice making machine, the pump, and the de-icing mechanism. The ice making machine includes a cooling chamber that cools the medium, an inflow port through which the medium flows into the cooling chamber, and a discharge port through which the medium is discharged from the cooling chamber. The control device activates the de-icing mechanism when a pressure difference between a pressure of the medium at the inflow port and a pressure of the medium at the discharge port exceeds a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventors: Azuma KONDOU, Shouhei YASUDA, Takahito NAKAYAMA, Kazuyoshi NOMURA, Takeo UENO
  • Publication number: 20200386462
    Abstract: An icemaking system includes: a refrigerant circuit that executes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle; a circulation circuit that circulates solution as a cooling target of the refrigerant circuit; and a control device that controls refrigerant evaporation temperature at the refrigerant circuit. The circulation circuit includes a solution flow path of: an ice generator; a solution tank that stores the solution; and a pump that pressure feeds the solution to the solution flow path. The refrigerant circuit includes: an evaporator of the ice generator; a compressor; a condenser; and an expansion valve. The control device includes a central processing unit (CPU) that adjusts to lower evaporation temperature at the evaporator as the solution has higher solute concentration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Azuma Kondou, Takeo Ueno, Shouhei Yasuda, Takahito Nakayama, Satoru Sakae
  • Publication number: 20200348058
    Abstract: An ice making system includes: a refrigerant circuit that performs a vapor compression refrigeration cycle and that includes a compressor, a condenser that condenses refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a first expansion valve with an adjustable opening degree that decompresses the refrigerant from the condenser, a flooded evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by the first expansion valve, and a superheater that imparts a degree of superheating to the refrigerant discharged from the flooded evaporator; a circulation circuit that circulates a medium that is cooled by the flooded evaporator; and a control device that controls the adjustable opening degree of the first expansion valve such that the superheater imparts to the refrigerant discharged from the flooded evaporator a degree of superheating at which dryness of the refrigerant is kept within a predetermined range of less than 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kouichi Kita, Azuma Kondou, Shouhei Yasuda, Keisuke Nakatsuka, Kazuyoshi Nomura, Takeo Ueno
  • Publication number: 20190376730
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus includes: a usage-side expansion valve whose opening degree is changed in response to a change in a flow rate or a pressure of a refrigerant on the upstream side; a first expansion valve; and a controller. The controller exerts, in an oil recovery operation, an oil recovery first control on the first expansion valve to attain a first opening degree (an opening degree of increasing an opening degree of the usage-side expansion valve in relation to a reduction in the flow rate or the pressure of the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve), to reduce the flow rate or the pressure of the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru SAKAE, Azuma KONDOU
  • Publication number: 20190360725
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus implements a control method capable of suppressing occurrence of a situation in which a refrigerating machine oil from an oil separator is unsatisfactorily returned to a compressor and a discharge gas refrigerant is mostly returned to the compressor. An oil return valve is disposed on an oil return pipe connecting an oil separator disposed on a discharge side of a compressor to an injection pipe for supplying a refrigerant to the compressor. A controller controls the oil return valve to reduce a flow rate when a temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor or a pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the injection pipe satisfies a predetermined condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Azuma KONDOU
  • Publication number: 20190226705
    Abstract: A refrigeration system includes a plurality of utilization units provided for one air conditioning target space, a refrigerant leakage sensor that detects a leakage of the refrigerant in a lower part of the air conditioning target space, and a control unit. In a case where the refrigerant leakage sensor detects the refrigerant leakage, the control unit performs detection standby control on the utilization units such that the supply of the refrigerant to utilization-side heat exchangers is temporarily stopped. In a case where the refrigerant leakage is detected based on the state quantity of the refrigerant corresponding to the utilization units under the detection standby control, the control unit stops the use of the utilization unit in which the refrigerant leakage has been detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru SAKAE, Azuma KONDOU
  • Publication number: 20190203997
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigeration apparatus capable of, even in occurrence of a refrigerant leak, suppressing the extent of the refrigerant leak in continuously operating a usage unit other than a usage unit at which the refrigerant leak occurs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru SAKAE, Azuma KONDOU, Masaaki TAKEGAMI, Kazuyoshi NOMURA
  • Publication number: 20190195550
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigeration apparatus capable of reducing the leakage of a refrigerant even when a refrigerant leak occurs in a defrosting operation of a usage-side heat exchanger. When a refrigerant leak situation around a usage-side heat exchanger satisfies a predetermined leak condition in performing a defrosting operation with a connection state of a four-way switching valve brought into a defrosting connection state in which a heat source-side heat exchanger functions as an evaporator for a refrigerant and a usage-side heat exchanger functions as a radiator for the refrigerant, a controller performs density lowering control to lower a refrigerant density in the usage-side heat exchanger while maintaining the four-way switching valve at the defrosting connection state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru SAKAE, Azuma KONDOU, Masaaki TAKEGAMI, Kazuyoshi NOMURA
  • Publication number: 20110174005
    Abstract: A refrigerating apparatus having a plurality of compressors includes an injection circuit (40) which includes a first injection pipe (37) branched from a first refrigerant pipe (32) of a refrigerant circuit (10) and branch injection pipes (37a, 37b, 37c) branched from the first injection pipe (37), a subcooling pressure-reducing valve (29) provided to the first injection pipe (37), and flow rate adjusting valves (30a, 30b, 30c) provided to the branch injection pipes (37a, 37b, 37c), respectively, thereby providing an appropriate refrigerant injection to each of the compressors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Inventors: Masaaki Takegami, Satoru Sakae, Ryuuji Takeuchi, Azuma Kondou