Patents by Inventor Ichiro Minato

Ichiro Minato 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: 10815849
    Abstract: An oil separator includes a casing that has an inlet for air and an outlet for air, and an impingement member that is provided inside the casing. Air that contains oil is introduced through the inlet into the casing and caused to strike the impingement member so that the oil is separated from the introduced air and is recovered. The outlet opens in the horizontal direction of the casing. The oil separator further includes an L-shaped elbow member that is attached to the outlet. The elbow member protrudes in the horizontal direction from the outlet and is bent upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Ichiro Minato
  • Patent number: 10774710
    Abstract: An oil separator includes a casing that has an inlet for air and an outlet for air, and an impingement member that is provided inside the casing. Air that contains oil is introduced through the inlet into the casing and caused to strike the impingement member so that the oil is separated from the introduced air and is recovered. The outlet opens in the horizontal direction of the casing. The oil separator further includes an L-shaped elbow member that is attached to the outlet. The elbow member protrudes in the horizontal direction from the outlet and is bent upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Ichiro Minato
  • Patent number: 10632406
    Abstract: An oil separator includes a housing and an impingement member arranged in the housing. The oil separator introduces air containing oil into the housing and causes the air to strike the impingement member to separate the oil from the introduced air, thereby recovering the oil into a liquid storage portion. The oil separator further includes a liquid restoration device that restores collected liquid to an external device. The collected liquid contains the oil that has been separated from the air and recovered. The liquid restoration device includes an inlet port connected to the liquid storage portion, a retaining portion, and a discharge port connected to the external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Hiroaki Kawanami, Ichiro Minato
  • Patent number: 10625718
    Abstract: A brake system includes a service brake and a parking brake that brake a vehicle including a lift axle capable of ascending and descending. The brake system further includes a brake blocker device and a controller that controls the brake blocker device. The brake blocker device blocks at least one of supply of compressed air to the service brake and supply of compressed air to the parking brake. The service brake and the parking brake act on the lift axle. The controller actuates the brake blocker device when the lift axle is at a lifted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ichiro Minato, Hiroki Hasebe, Kazuya Yoketa
  • Patent number: 10543449
    Abstract: An air dryer includes a supporting base, a drying agent container, and an outer cover. The supporting base includes an inlet for receiving compressed air to be subject to a drying process and an outlet for delivering the processed compressed air that has undergone the drying process. The drying agent container is a container supported on the supporting base, contains a drying agent in the interior, and enables the drying process to be performed by passing the compressed air from the inlet through the drying agent. The outer cover surrounds the outer side of the drying agent container on the supporting base and defines a chamber for storing the compressed air between itself and the drying agent container. The supporting base includes first and second mounting surfaces, which are oriented in different directions, and a plurality of inlets, which are oriented in different directions and receive the compressed air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ichiro Minato, Takuya Sugio, Hiroyuki Murakami, Hiroki Hasebe
  • Patent number: 10434464
    Abstract: A compressed air drying device that dries compressed air discharged from a compressor includes a dryer and a controller. The dryer includes a drying container, which is filled with a desiccant, and a discharge valve arranged in a discharge port that discharges drainage produced by regeneration of the desiccant. The controller obtains an ambient temperature and controls opening and closing of the discharge valve. When the ambient temperature is a temperature at which freezing occurs, the controller moves the compressed air, which is discharged from the compressor and heated, into the dryer and restricts opening of the discharge valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ichiro Minato, Hiroki Hasebe, Kazuya Yoketa, Masanori Momoki
  • Patent number: 10343108
    Abstract: An air drier includes an inlet, an outlet, and a collected liquid discharge port. Compressed air flows in the inlet. Dry compressed air is discharged through the outlet. Purge air containing oil and water is discharged through a collected liquid discharge port. The air drier further includes a drying container that is filled with desiccant, and a case that covers the drying container. The air drier is provided with, downstream of the collected liquid discharge port, a separation portion that separates clean air from oil and water in the purge air, a clean air outlet through which the clean air is discharged, and a collected liquid retaining portion in which collected liquid is retained. The collected liquid is separated oil and water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Hiroaki Kawanami, Ichiro Minato
  • Patent number: 10293292
    Abstract: An oil separator causes air containing oil to strike an impingement member to separate the oil from the air and recover the oil. The oil separator includes a body having an inlet for introducing air and an outlet for discharging air. The oil separator further includes a cartridge that is assembled to the body and accommodates the impingement member. The oil separator further includes a drain bowl for storing the separated oil. The oil separator further includes an assembling structure. The body and the cartridge are assembled through one or two actions by using the assembling structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Ichiro Minato, Hiroaki Kawanami
  • Patent number: 10253775
    Abstract: It is intended to provide a vacuum pump so that without upsizing the vacuum pump, noise and vibration are reduced, heat dissipation property is secured, and the casing is downsized. Therefore, at least one turning part is provided in an exhausting path formed in a casing body. The casing body is formed of a material whose thermal conductivity is higher than that of a rotor and vanes, and a cylinder part where the vanes slide is press fitted in the casing body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Mitsuhashi, Katsunori Tanaka, Hiroyuki Murakami, Kouji Takahashi, Taku Kawakami, Ichiro Minato
  • Patent number: 10207694
    Abstract: A parking brake system for electrically controlling a parking brake of a vehicle is provided. The parking brake system includes a parking brake provided for each wheel, an air dryer controller, and an actuator. The air dryer controller is provided to an air dryer to electrically control the parking brake. The air dryer dries compressed air for use in the parking brake. The actuator is provided for each axle of the wheel to actuate the parking brake with the compressed air in accordance with an electric signal from the air dryer controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Nabtesco Automotive Corporation
    Inventors: Ichiro Minato, Hiroki Hasebe, Kazuya Yoketa, Katsunori Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10130910
    Abstract: A compressed air drying device includes a support base including an inlet of compressed air from a compressor, an outlet of the compressed air, and a discharge port of oil and water. The discharge port includes a drain valve device and a drying container. The container is filled with desiccant and is installed in the support base. In a loading operation, the compressed air drying device causes the desiccant to dry the compressed air introduced through the inlet and discharges the dried compressed air through the outlet. In an unloading operation, the compressed air drying device causes the compressed air to pass through the container to discharge oil and water from the discharge port. A glass fiber filter is provided at one or more of a position upstream of the desiccant and a position downstream of the desiccant in a flow of the compressed air during the loading operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobushige Matsuie, Ichiro Minato, Tomoya Nishihara, Yusuke Ota
  • Patent number: 10105634
    Abstract: A compressed air drier includes a support base, a desiccant cartridge coupled to the support base, and a case that covers the cartridge and is coupled to the support base. The support base includes an inlet for compressed air from a compressor, an outlet for the compressed air, and a discharge port for oil and water including a drain valve device. An electrically charged oil adsorbent is accommodated between the cartridge and the case. The cartridge is filled with a desiccant. The compressed air drier dries the compressed air entering the inlet with the desiccant during a loading operation, collects the dried compressed air in the case, and discharges the dried compressed air from the outlet. The compressed air drier passes the compressed air in the case through the cartridge during an unloading operation to discharge oil and water from the discharge port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ichiro Minato, Takuya Sugio, Masanori Momoki, Hiroyuki Murakami
  • Patent number: 10099164
    Abstract: An oil separator is provided with a casing having an inlet for air and an outlet for air, an expansion chamber for expanding air introduced therein through the inlet, an accommodation member communicating with the expansion chamber in the vertical direction, a collected liquid storage portion provided below the accommodation member, and a connecting hose having an oil separator connection end for being connected to the inlet and an air dryer connection end for being connected to an air dryer. The connecting hose is configured such that the oil separator connection end is located higher than the air dryer connection end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Ichiro Minato
  • Patent number: 10087798
    Abstract: An oil separator is provided with a housing having an inlet for air, an expansion chamber provided inside the housing, and a heating device for heating the lower part of the expansion chamber. The oil separator introduces, into the housing, air containing oil that has passed through the inlet, and separates and recovers the oil from the air that has been introduced. The transverse cross-sectional area of the expansion chamber is larger than the opening area of the inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Ichiro Minato
  • Patent number: 10082057
    Abstract: An oil separator is provided with a case that has an air inlet and a plurality of expansion chambers formed within the case. Air that contains oil is introduced into the case via the inlet and caused to strike a impingement plate to thereby separate the oil from the introduced air and recover the oil. The transverse cross-sectional area of each expansion chamber is greater than the open area of the inlet. Partition walls with orifice holes formed therein are provided between the expansion chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Ichiro Minato
  • Publication number: 20180154301
    Abstract: An air dryer includes a supporting base, a drying agent container, and an outer cover. The supporting base includes an inlet for receiving compressed air to be subject to a drying process and an outlet for delivering the processed compressed air that has undergone the drying process. The drying agent container is a container supported on the supporting base, contains a drying agent in the interior, and enables the drying process to be performed by passing the compressed air from the inlet through the drying agent. The outer cover surrounds the outer side of the drying agent container on the supporting base and defines a chamber for storing the compressed air between itself and the drying agent container. The supporting base includes first and second mounting surfaces, which are oriented in different directions, and a plurality of inlets, which are oriented in different directions and receive the compressed air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Applicant: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ichiro MINATO, Takuya SUGIO, Hiroyuki MURAKAMI, Hiroki HASEBE
  • Publication number: 20180142591
    Abstract: An oil separator includes a casing that has an inlet for air and an outlet for air, and an impingement member that is provided inside the casing. Air that contains oil is introduced through the inlet into the casing and caused to strike the impingement member so that the oil is separated from the introduced air and is recovered. The outlet opens in the horizontal direction of the casing. The oil separator further includes an L-shaped elbow member that is attached to the outlet. The elbow member protrudes in the horizontal direction from the outlet and is bent upward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya SUGIO, Ichiro MINATO
  • Patent number: 9908077
    Abstract: An air dryer includes a supporting base, a drying agent container, and an outer cover. The supporting base includes an inlet for receiving compressed air to be subject to a drying process and an outlet for delivering the processed compressed air that has undergone the drying process. The drying agent container is a container supported on the supporting base, contains a drying agent in the interior, and enables the drying process to be performed by passing the compressed air from the inlet through the drying agent. The outer cover surrounds the outer side of the drying agent container on the supporting base and defines a chamber for storing the compressed air between itself and the drying agent container. The supporting base includes first and second mounting surfaces, which are oriented in different directions, and a plurality of inlets, which are oriented in different directions and receive the compressed air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ichiro Minato, Takuya Sugio, Hiroyuki Murakami, Hiroki Hasebe
  • Patent number: 9890675
    Abstract: An oil separator includes a casing that has an inlet for air and an outlet for air, and an impingement member that is provided inside the casing. Air that contains oil is introduced through the inlet into the casing and caused to strike the impingement member so that the oil is separated from the introduced air and is recovered. The outlet opens in the horizontal direction of the casing. The oil separator further includes an L-shaped elbow member that is attached to the outlet. The elbow member protrudes in the horizontal direction from the outlet and is bent upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: NABTESCO AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Sugio, Ichiro Minato
  • Patent number: 9815446
    Abstract: The operation of an air compressor is controlled to control engine performance to thereby improve the performance of the vehicle. A compressor (4) driven by an engine (3) of a vehicle and supplying compressed air to loads (51-54) is controlled by an ECU (2). A loaded state and an unloaded state of the compressor (4) are switched between each other according to the requirements from the loads (51-54). When the vehicle requires braking force, the compressor (4) is set to the loaded state irrespective of the requirements from the loads (51-54).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Nabtesco Automotive Corporation
    Inventors: Ichiro Minato, Hiroki Hasebe