Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Sata

Hiroshi Sata 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: 11959677
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus includes: a refrigerant circuit through which refrigerant circulates; a controller to execute a plurality of refrigerant shortage sensing functions of sensing a shortage of an amount of the refrigerant; and an input device through which an operation mode to be set is input into the controller. The operation mode includes: a first mode in which energy-saving performance is emphasized; and a second mode in which the refrigeration apparatus is permitted to operate in a range in which reliability is ensured. In accordance with the operation mode set through the input device, the controller determines which one of sensing results obtained by the refrigerant shortage sensing functions is enabled and which one of sensing results obtained by the refrigerant shortage sensing functions is disabled. When a sensing result determined to be enabled shows a refrigerant shortage, the controller gives a notification about the refrigerant shortage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takanori Yashiro, Hiroshi Sata, Yusuke Arii
  • Patent number: 11656015
    Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus is a refrigeration cycle apparatus having a refrigerant circuit having a compressor, a condenser, a supercooler, an expansion device, and an evaporator connected by a refrigerant pipe, and configured to circulate refrigerant containing refrigerant having a temperature gradient, wherein the supercooler sets a degree of supercooling of the refrigerant, which is a temperature difference between a temperature from the condenser to a refrigerant flow inlet of the supercooler and a temperature in a refrigerant flow outlet on a downstream side of the supercooler, to be larger than the temperature gradient generated at a time of refrigerant shortage of the refrigerant between the refrigerant flow inlet and the refrigerant flow outlet of the supercooler, the refrigeration cycle apparatus including a refrigerant amount determination unit configured to compare a determination threshold value set to a value larger than the temperature gradient of the refrigerant with the degree of supercoo
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sata, Tomotaka Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20230134047
    Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus is a refrigeration cycle apparatus having a refrigerant circuit having a compressor, a condenser, a supercooler, an expansion device, and an evaporator connected by a refrigerant pipe, and configured to circulate refrigerant containing refrigerant having a temperature gradient, wherein the supercooler sets a degree of supercooling of the refrigerant, which is a temperature difference between a temperature from the condenser to a refrigerant flow inlet of the supercooler and a temperature in a refrigerant flow outlet on a downstream side of the supercooler, to be larger than the temperature gradient generated at a time of refrigerant shortage of the refrigerant between the refrigerant flow inlet and the refrigerant flow outlet of the supercooler, the refrigeration cycle apparatus including a refrigerant amount determination unit configured to compare a determination threshold value set to a value larger than the temperature gradient of the refrigerant with the degree of supercoo
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventors: Hiroshi SATA, Tomotaka ISHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220120484
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus includes: a refrigerant circuit through which refrigerant circulates; a controller to execute a plurality of refrigerant shortage sensing functions of sensing a shortage of an amount of the refrigerant; and an input device through which an operation mode to be set is input into the controller. The operation mode includes: a first mode in which energy-saving performance is emphasized; and a second mode in which the refrigeration apparatus is permitted to operate in a range in which reliability is ensured. In accordance with the operation mode set through the input device, the controller determines which one of sensing results obtained by the refrigerant shortage sensing functions is enabled and which one of sensing results obtained by the refrigerant shortage sensing functions is disabled. When a sensing result determined to be enabled shows a refrigerant shortage, the controller gives a notification about the refrigerant shortage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventors: Takanori YASHIRO, Hiroshi SATA, Yusuke ARII
  • Patent number: 11131490
    Abstract: The refrigerant device includes a refrigerant circuit, an injection circuit, an inlet temperature sensor, an outlet temperature sensor, and a controller configured to control the operation of the refrigerant circuit. The controller includes an evaluation value calculation unit and a refrigerant amount detection unit. The evaluation value calculation unit calculates an evaluation value indicating a capability of a subcooling heat exchanger in accordance with an inlet temperature detected by the inlet temperature sensor and an outlet temperature detected by the outlet temperature sensor. The refrigerant amount detection unit determines whether there is a shortage of refrigerant in accordance with the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation value calculation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kohei Ueda, Abastari, Hiroshi Sata
  • Publication number: 20200200457
    Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus is a refrigeration cycle apparatus having a refrigerant circuit having a compressor, a condenser, a supercooler, an expansion device, and an evaporator connected by a refrigerant pipe, and configured to circulate refrigerant containing refrigerant having a temperature gradient, wherein the supercooler sets a degree of supercooling of the refrigerant, which is a temperature difference between a temperature from the condenser to a refrigerant flow inlet of the supercooler and a temperature in a refrigerant flow outlet on a downstream side of the supercooler, to be larger than the temperature gradient generated at a time of refrigerant shortage of the refrigerant between the refrigerant flow inlet and the refrigerant flow outlet of the supercooler, the refrigeration cycle apparatus including a refrigerant amount determination unit configured to compare a determination threshold value set to a value larger than the temperature gradient of the refrigerant with the degree of supercoo
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Hiroshi SATA, Tomotaka ISHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20190203995
    Abstract: The refrigerant device includes a refrigerant circuit, an injection circuit, an inlet temperature sensor, an outlet temperature sensor, and a controller configured to control the operation of the refrigerant circuit. The controller includes an evaluation value calculation unit and a refrigerant amount detection unit. The evaluation value calculation unit calculates an evaluation value indicating a capability of a subcooling heat exchanger in accordance with an inlet temperature detected by the inlet temperature sensor and an outlet temperature detected by the outlet temperature sensor. The refrigerant amount detection unit determines whether there is a shortage of refrigerant in accordance with the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation value calculation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Inventors: Kohei UEDA, (no name) ABASTARI, Hiroshi SATA
  • Patent number: 10254016
    Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes: a low-stage refrigeration cycle including a low-stage compressor, a low-stage condenser, a low-stage pressure reducing device, and a low-stage evaporator, and circulating low-stage refrigerant; a high-stage refrigeration cycle including a high-stage compressor, a high-stage condenser, a high-stage pressure reducing device, and a high-stage evaporator, and circulating high-stage refrigerant; a cascade condenser exchanging heat between the low-stage refrigerant in the low-stage condenser and the high-stage refrigerant in the high-stage evaporator, and a controller. The low-stage refrigerant is a refrigerant that undergoes disproportionation. The low-stage refrigerant is maintained at a pressure lower than a disproportionation pressure at which the low-stage refrigerant undergoes disproportionation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, AGC INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sata, Tomotaka Ishikawa, Takashi Ikeda, Yusuke Arii
  • Patent number: 9651288
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus includes a compressor receiving refrigerant through an injection pipe and of discharging the refrigerant, a condenser, an electronic expansion valve connected by piping to another end of the injection pipe, a subcooling coil, a solenoid valve configured to control inflowing of the refrigerant through the injection pipe into the compressor, an injection bypass pipe connecting the injection pipe and a pipe on a suction side of the compressor, a solenoid valve configured to control passage of the refrigerant flowing through the injection bypass pipe, a high-low pressure bypass pipe connecting a pipe on a discharge side of the compressor and the pipe on the suction side of the compressor, a solenoid valve configured to control passage of the refrigerant through the high-low pressure bypass pipe, and a controller configured to control a frequency of the compressor and opening and closing of each of the solenoid valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Hata, Hiroshi Sata
  • Publication number: 20170121581
    Abstract: A heat pump apparatus is provided in which refrigerant circulates between an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, wherein the refrigerant is a mixed refrigerant of HFO-1123 and an HFC refrigerant other than HFO-1123, the outdoor unit has a cooling capacity (kW) in the range of 2.2 to 9.5 kW, the outer diameter ? (mm) of a gas pipe between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit and the cooling capacity (kW) of the outdoor unit satisfy the relation (1.00?outer diameter ? (mm) of gas pipe/cooling capacity (kW) of outdoor unit?5.77), and the outer diameter ? (mm) of a liquid pipe between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit and the cooling capacity (kW) of the outdoor unit satisfy the relation (0.67?outer diameter ? (mm) of liquid pipe/cooling capacity (kW) of outdoor unit?5.77).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Inventors: Shinya HORIIKE, Hiroyuki MORIMOTO, Hiroshi SATA
  • Publication number: 20170108247
    Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes: a low-stage refrigeration cycle including a low-stage compressor, a low-stage condenser, a low-stage pressure reducing device, and a low-stage evaporator, and circulating low-stage refrigerant; a high-stage refrigeration cycle including a high-stage compressor, a high-stage condenser, a high-stage pressure reducing device, and a high-stage evaporator, and circulating high-stage refrigerant; a cascade condenser exchanging heat between the low-stage refrigerant in the low-stage condenser and the high-stage refrigerant in the high-stage evaporator, and a controller. The low-stage refrigerant is a refrigerant that undergoes disproportionation. The low-stage refrigerant is maintained at a pressure lower than a disproportionation pressure at which the low-stage refrigerant undergoes disproportionation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroshi SATA, Tomotaka ISHIKAWA, Takashi IKEDA, Yusuke ARII
  • Patent number: 9541313
    Abstract: A refrigerating device that forms a refrigerating cycle in which a plurality of outdoor machines 1a and 1b provided at least with compressors 2a and 2b, condensers 4a and 4b, and accumulators 5a and 5b respectively and an indoor machine 20 provided with decompressing means 21 and an evaporator 22 are connected in parallel by piping, having oil return pipes 13a and 13b that return refrigerator oil stored in the accumulators into the compressors, an oil equalizing pipe 10 that connects the accumulators to each other, and a controller 30 that controls an operation of the compressor and on/off of an electromagnetic valve 12a deposed on the oil equalizing pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Ikeda, Tomotaka Ishikawa, Hiroshi Sata, Fumitake Unezaki
  • Publication number: 20150052925
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus includes a compressor receiving refrigerant through an injection pipe and of discharging the refrigerant, a condenser, an electronic expansion valve connected by piping to another end of the injection pipe, a subcooling coil, a solenoid valve configured to control inflowing of the refrigerant through the injection pipe into the compressor, an injection bypass pipe connecting the injection pipe and a pipe on a suction side of the compressor, a solenoid valve configured to control passage of the refrigerant flowing through the injection bypass pipe, a high-low pressure bypass pipe connecting a pipe on a discharge side of the compressor and the pipe on the suction side of the compressor, a solenoid valve configured to control passage of the refrigerant through the high-low pressure bypass pipe, and a controller configured to control a frequency of the compressor and opening and closing of each of the solenoid valves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Hata, Hiroshi Sata
  • Publication number: 20120006041
    Abstract: A refrigerating device that forms a refrigerating cycle in which a plurality of outdoor machines 1a and 1b provided at least with compressors 2a and 2b, condensers 4a and 4b, and accumulators 5a and 5b respectively and an indoor machine 20 provided with decompressing means 21 and an evaporator 22 are connected in parallel by piping, having oil return pipes 13a and 13b that return refrigerator oil stored in the accumulators into the compressors, an oil equalizing pipe 10 that connects the accumulators to each other, and a controller 30 that controls an operation of the compressor and on/off of an electromagnetic valve 12a deposed on the oil equalizing pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2010
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Inventors: Takashi Ikeda, Tomotaka Ishikawa, Hiroshi Sata, Fumitake Unezaki
  • Patent number: D681072
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sata, Kenichi Hata
  • Patent number: D681076
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sata, Kenichi Hata
  • Patent number: D788189
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Maeda, Kenichiro Toriumi, Ataru Nakamura, Hajime Fujimoto, Hiroshi Sata
  • Patent number: D798345
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Maeda, Kenichiro Toriumi, Ataru Nakamura, Hajime Fujimoto, Hiroshi Sata
  • Patent number: D800186
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Maeda, Kenichiro Toriumi, Ataru Nakamura, Hajime Fujimoto, Hiroshi Sata
  • Patent number: D800802
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Eiectric Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Maeda, Kenichiro Toriumi, Ataru Nakamura, Hajime Fujimoto, Hiroshi Sata