Patents by Inventor Choji Sakuma

Choji Sakuma 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: 10596874
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner includes: a condenser that internally circulates a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant which is discharged from a compressor and that heats air passing around the condenser; an evaporator that internally circulates a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant and that absorbs heat from the air passing around the evaporator; and a switching portion that switches flows of air in response to a heating time, a cooling time, and a dehumidifying-heating time of a vehicle. Also, the switching portion causes the air passing around the condenser to flow into a vehicle compartment during the heating time of the vehicle, causes the air passing around the evaporator to flow into the vehicle compartment during the cooling time of the vehicle and causes the air sequentially passing through the evaporator and the condenser to flow into the vehicle compartment during the dehumidifying-heating time of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Kakizaki, Choji Sakuma
  • Publication number: 20160001628
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner includes: a condenser that internally circulates a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant which is discharged from a compressor and that heats air passing around the condenser; an evaporator that internally circulates a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant and that absorbs heat from the air passing around the evaporator; and a switching portion that switches flows of air in response to a heating time, a cooling time, and a dehumidifying-heating time of a vehicle. Also, the switching portion causes the air passing around the condenser to flow into a vehicle compartment during the heating time of the vehicle, causes the air passing around the evaporator to flow into the vehicle compartment during the cooling time of the vehicle and causes the air sequentially passing through the evaporator and the condenser to flow into the vehicle compartment during the dehumidifying-heating time of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventors: Shinji KAKIZAKI, Choji SAKUMA
  • Publication number: 20150118947
    Abstract: A vehicular cold-air shielding structure that is provided on a floor of a vehicle includes a front seat that is slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and a shielding member that is disposed under the front seat and that is provided so as to extend in the width direction of the vehicle. The shielding member has a flexibility that allows the shielding member to follow the sliding movement of the front seat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Choji Sakuma, Yoshiyuki Takeuchi, Satoshi Kobayashi, Yoshinori Ishimoto, Ryosuke Nakashima
  • Patent number: 8281754
    Abstract: A radiator is provided within an engine room and in front of an engine for cooling engine cooling water. A shutter is provided in front of the radiator and covers a portion of a core surface of the radiator for adjusting an amount of cooling air to be directed toward the radiator. A baffle plate is provided behind a remaining portion of the core surface, which is not covered with the shutter, for directing the air, having passed through the remaining portion, to outside the engine room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Saida, Choji Sakuma, Hironori Shuto, Isao Tsunoda, Yasuo Minagawa
  • Patent number: 8118087
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning device having first and second fans for forcing air through a heat exchanger, and a fan controller for controlling an operation of the first and second fans. On receiving a signal indicating that the shutter is closed, the fan controller controls the first and second fans such that the first fan is turned into an operating state and the second fan is turned into a stopped state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Saida, Choji Sakuma
  • Publication number: 20110061405
    Abstract: A vehicular air conditioner includes cabin-exterior fans that blow air with respect to a cabin-exterior heat exchanger in which a coolant is vaporized, and a plurality of openable/closable shutters disposed in a duct that communicates between the cabin-exterior heat exchanger and the exterior of the vehicle. On an upper portion of the duct, a cover is formed that covers the cabin-exterior heat exchanger, which is disposed rearwardly of the shutters, and an upper region of the radiator. Additionally, air that is raised in temperature by heat from the engine passes between the cover and both the cabin-exterior heat exchanger and the radiator, and is guided toward a forward side of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicants: KEIHIN CORPORATION, HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shogo WATANABE, Masashi OGAWA, Takumi SAITO, Choji SAKUMA, Yoshitaka SAIDA, Isao TSUNODA, Hironori SHUTO, Yasuo MINAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20100083917
    Abstract: A radiator is provided within an engine room and in front of an engine for cooling engine cooling water. A shutter is provided in front of the radiator and covers a portion of a core surface of the radiator for adjusting an amount of cooling air to be directed toward the radiator. A baffle plate is provided behind a remaining portion of the core surface, which is not covered with the shutter, for directing the air, having passed through the remaining portion, to outside the engine room.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Saida, Choji Sakuma, Hironori Shuto, Isao Tsunoda, Yasuo Minagawa
  • Publication number: 20080283215
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning device having first and second fans for forcing air through a heat exchanger, and a fan controller for controlling an operation of the first and second fans. On receiving a signal indicating that the shutter is closed, the fan controller controls the first and second fans such that the first fan is turned into an operating state and the second fan is turned into a stopped state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Saida, Choji Sakuma
  • Patent number: 6718791
    Abstract: A heat pump air conditioning system having an outside heat exchanger which is disposed in an engine compartment of a vehicle is provided. The outside heat exchanger consists of a first outside heat exchanger disposed forward of an engine and a second outside heat exchanger disposed near the engine except the front, especially rearward of the engine. When heating the passenger compartment, the second outside heat exchanger acts as a heat absorber, utilizing the heat of the engine, and effectively heating the interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Choji Sakuma
  • Publication number: 20030209026
    Abstract: A heat pump air conditioning system having an outside heat exchanger which is disposed in an engine compartment of a vehicle is provided. The outside heat exchanger consists of a first outside heat exchanger disposed forward of an engine and a second outside heat exchanger disposed near the engine except the front, especially rearward of the engine. When heating the passenger compartment, the second outside heat exchanger acts as a heat absorber, utilizing the heat of the engine, and effectively heating the interior.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Applicant: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Choji Sakuma
  • Patent number: 6012817
    Abstract: In a waterdrop removing apparatus for a vehicle, a blower is attached to a part of high rigidity within a door body to reduce vibration and noise. Air discharged from the blower is guided to a door mirror by a nozzle to blow away waterdrops wetting a surface of the door mirror. The blower is attached to an attachment bracket which is fixed to a door hinge together with a front end wall of the door body interposed between the door hinge and the attachment bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kamakura, Choji Sakuma, Hironori Yamaguchi, Kozo Shimamura
  • Patent number: 5953158
    Abstract: A water droplet removing system for a vehicle provided with door mirror assemblies each having a door mirror base attached to a door body, and a mirror unit guides air discharged by a blower installed in a door body of the automobile to at least either the surface of a mirror included in the mirror unit or the outer surface of a side window to blow off water droplets wetting the surface of the mirror or the outer surface of the side window. The blower is installed in a dead space defined in front of a guide rail placed in the door body to guide the front edge of the side window for vertical movement in the door body so that the interference between the blower and parts arranged within the door body including the side window can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kamakura, Choji Sakuma, Hironori Yamaguchi, Kouzou Shimamura
  • Patent number: 5769316
    Abstract: An air conditioner for a vehicle has a heat pump type refrigerant circuit capable of operating at least in a heating mode. The air conditioner comprises a motor fan for supplying air heated by a heat exchanger to the interior of the vehicle during operation of the heating mode, a sensor for detecting the temperature of the air at a position downstream of the heat exchanger and a control unit for controlling the volume of the air supplied by the motor fan to a predetermined minimum volume by controlling the drive of the motor fan when the detected air temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature. Even in a condition where a sufficiently large heat radiation from the heat exchanger cannot be expected, a large volume of cold air that has been insufficiently heated can be prevented from being discharged into the interior of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignees: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Sanden Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Ikeda, Toshimi Isobe, Atsuo Inoue, Toshihiko Fujita, Akihiro Tajiri, Mitsuru Ishikawa, Choji Sakuma, Nobuyuki Yuri
  • Patent number: 5634348
    Abstract: An air conditioner for vehicles includes a refrigerant circuit having a compressor capable of varying its output, a heat sink and a radiator disposed in an air duct for cooling operation, heating operation and dehumidifying operation modes; sensors for detecting air temperatures at the output-side positions of the heat sink and the radiator, respectively; and a control unit for controlling the output of the compressor in response to at least one of the detected air temperatures. The heat absorbing action due to the heat sink and the heat radiating action due to the radiator are appropriately controlled in the refrigerant circuit side in the respective operation modes without unnecessary heat absorbing and heat radiating actions. Further, the temperature of the air discharged from the air duct into the interior of the vehicle can be properly controlled by adjustment of the heat absorbing ability of the heat sink and the heat radiating ability of the radiator by the control of the compressor output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Susumu Ikeda, Toshimi Isobe, Atsuo Inoue, Toshihiko Fujita, Akihiro Tajiri, Mitsuru Ishikawa, Choji Sakuma, Nobuyuki Yuri
  • Patent number: 5598887
    Abstract: An air conditioner for vehicles that prevents icing and lack of visibility from developing on window glass of a vehicle during heating, and which permits a dehumidifying operation to be made without lowering of the air blowing temperature. The air conditioner is of a heat pump type comprising a compressor, an exterior heat exchanger, and a first interior heat exchanger, which are provided together with a second interior heat exchanger used as a heat radiator at least during heating. Further, piping lines are provided for introducing a refrigerant gas for passage through the second interior heat exchanger to the exterior heat exchanger through an expansion means, and for introducing the refrigerant gas for passage through the second interior heat exchanger to the first interior heat exchanger through a first expansion means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignees: Sanden Corporation, Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Susumu Ikeda, Toshimi Isobe, Atsuo Inoue, Akihiro Tajiri, Choji Sakuma, Nobuyuki Yuri, Mitsuru Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 5595064
    Abstract: When an air-conditioner operation mode signal AM representative of a confirmation to permit the starting of a motor-driven compressor is supplied from an air-conditioner control unit to a battery management unit, the battery management unit detects power supply conditions including a voltage, a ground fault, a wire disconnection, etc. of a high-voltage battery, and supplies a start permission signal AUX2 indicative of a permission to start the motor-driven compressor to the air-conditioner control unit depending on the detected power supply conditions. After having received the start permission signal AUX2, the air-conditioner control unit turns on an air-conditioner inverter drive signal DAI to operate the motor-driven compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Assignees: Sanden Corporation, Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Susumu Ikeda, Toshimi Isobe, Akihiro Tajiri, Masahiro Takagi, Mitsuru Ishikawa, Choji Sakuma, Nobuyuki Yuri
  • Patent number: 5590540
    Abstract: An air conditioner for vehicles includes a damper for switching among an outside-air inlet mode, an inside-air inlet mode and an outside/inside-air inlet mode, a manual switch for selecting any one of the respective inlet modes, an automatic switch for automatically selecting one of the respective inlet modes, a heating and cooling operation unit, an inside-air temperature sensor, an outside-air temperature sensor and a control unit for selectively controlling the respective inlet modes based on the condition of the heating and cooling operation unit, the condition of the respective switches and the difference between the temperatures detected by the respective temperature sensors. In the air conditioner, an optimum air conditioning in correspondence to the load required for air conditioning can be realized from the viewpoint of saving of energy and efficient operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignees: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Sanden Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Ikeda, Toshimi Isobe, Atsuo Inoue, Toshihiko Fujita, Akihiro Tajiri, Mitsuru Ishikawa, Choji Sakuma, Nobuyuki Yuri
  • Patent number: 5586448
    Abstract: An external heat exchanger of a heat pump air-conditioner on an electric vehicle is determined as being frosted based on signals from temperature sensors. If the external heat exchanger is frosted, then a frosting flag is set and the air-conditioner is operated in a cooling mode to radiate heat from the external heat exchanger for thereby defrosting the external heat exchanger while the air-conditioner is in a pre-air-conditioning mode before the driver enters the electric vehicle or while the battery on the electric vehicle is being charged. While the battery is being charged, the external heat exchanger is defrosted by the electric energy supplied from an external power supply to charge the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignees: Sanden Corporation, Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Susumu Ikeda, Toshimi Isobe, Atsuo Inoue, Akihiro Tajiri, Masahiro Takagi, Mitsuru Ishikawa, Choji Sakuma, Nobuyuki Yuri
  • Patent number: 5572877
    Abstract: An air conditioner for vehicles can operate at a dehumidifying-operation mode including at least a dry-cooling or a dry-heating mode. The air conditioner comprises a plurality of discharge ports including a defroster discharge port and discharge port switching dampers, a control system for opening at least the defroster discharge port for a predetermined time when the dehumidifying-operation mode is selected, and a control system for opening another discharge port determined in accordance with an operation mode and the like after the predetermined time has elapsed. When the dehumidifying operation is selected, at least the defroster discharge port is opened only for the predetermined time and temperature-conditioned air is discharged to the windshield from the defroster discharge port. After the predetermined time has elapsed, a discharge port in accordance with an operation mode is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1996
    Assignees: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Sanden Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Ikeda, Toshimi Isobe, Akihiro Tajiri, Mitsuru Ishikawa, Choji Sakuma, Nobuyuki Yuri
  • Patent number: 5490572
    Abstract: A battery temperature control system in an electric automobile which is equipped with an air conditioner for supplying a cool or warm air into a passenger compartment and which travels by using batteries as a power source accommodated in a battery chamber. The system includes a battery temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the battery, a control unit adapted to drive the air conditioner in an air-cooling mode when the battery temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined upper limit, and in an air-heating mode when the battery temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than a predetermined lower limit. An air intake port is provided in the battery chamber for introducing an air supplied from the air conditioner into the battery chamber. Further, in order to obtain a sufficiently warm air even when the atmospheric temperature is low, an auxiliary heat exchanger 28 which is heated by the combustion heater 29 also is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1996
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Tajiri, Yoshihiko Hotta, Mitsuru Ishikawa, Choji Sakuma, Nobuyuki Yuri