Patents by Inventor Keiichi Uno

Keiichi Uno 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: 7028475
    Abstract: A fluid machine according to the present invention has an expansion-and-compressor device selectively operating as an expansion device for collecting waste heat from an internal combustion engine and converting the collected heat energy into mechanical rotational force, and as a compressor device for compressing refrigerant for a refrigerating cycle for air conditioner. The fluid machine further comprises an electric rotating device selectively operating as an electric power generator and as an electric motor. A power transmission device is further provided between the expansion-and-compressor device and the electric rotating device for selectively transmitting the rotational force from the expansion-and-compressor device to the electric rotating device and vice versa. The power transmission device is composed of a planetary gear train so that it can change rotational speed to be transmitted to the expansion-and-compressor device or to the electric rotating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Yasushi Suzuki, Keiichi Uno, Kazuhide Uchida, Tadashi Hotta, Hironori Asa, Yasuhiro Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20060073050
    Abstract: A complex fluid machine (100) comprises a compressor device (110) for a refrigerating cycle (20) and an expansion device (120) for Rankine cycle (30) to collect waste heat from an engine (10) and convert into a rotational force, wherein the compressor device (110) and the expansion device (120) are arranged in a fluid machine housing (111, 101c, 121), but those devices (110, 120) are operatively independent from each other. The compressor and expansion devices (110, 120) are formed as scroll type devices, and each of the fixed scroll wraps (112b, 122b) are formed at a common base plate (101) and extend in opposite directions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Publication date: April 6, 2006
    Applicants: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Keiichi Uno, Hironori Asa, Tomohiro Kishimoto, Hiroshi Ogawa
  • Patent number: 6993910
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to minimize energy loss to be generated at a driving shaft and a shaft seal device, when an electric rotating device is driven by an expansion-and-compressor device. According to a feature of the invention, a first driving shaft is rotationally supported by a housing and transmits a driving force from an engine to a second shaft of the expansion-and-compressor device, wherein a shaft seal device is provided on the first driving shaft for air-tightly sealing the inside of the housing from the outside of the housing. A power transmission control device (electromagnetic clutch or one way clutch) is operatively provided in a path between the first driving shaft and the second shaft, so that power transmission from the second shaft to the first driving shaft is cut off, to suppress any energy loss to be generated between the first driving shaft and the shaft seal device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Yasushi Suzuki, Keiichi Uno, Kazuhide Uchida, Tadashi Hotta
  • Publication number: 20060019786
    Abstract: An auxiliary machine driven by an engine comprises: an operating section operated by a rotary motion and having a drive shaft; an input shaft, one side of which is connected to the engine and the other side of which is connected to the operating section; a clutch for connecting the engine to the input shaft and for disconnecting the engine from the input shaft; an electric motor; a planetary gear mechanism arranged between the input shaft and the output shaft; a first rotary direction regulating means for inhibiting a rotary direction of the input shaft in one-direction; and a second rotary direction regulating means for inhibiting a rotary direction of the drive shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2005
    Publication date: January 26, 2006
    Applicants: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Hironori Asa, Shigeki Iwanami, Keiichi Uno, Hiroshi Ogawa
  • Patent number: 6986645
    Abstract: A hybrid compressor system affords maximum cooling capability by making full use of an additional motor to improve the fuel consumption efficiency of a vehicle while ensuring passenger compartment cooling when the engine is stopped. The hybrid compressor system includes a compression unit for compressing a refrigerant, a motor for driving the compression unit, and disconnection means for disconnecting the drive force of a vehicle engine. In the hybrid compressor system, when the thermal load of the refrigeration cycle system lies within a predetermined range in a higher load region, the control means connects the disconnection means to allow the vehicle engine to drive the compression unit. When the thermal load of the refrigeration cycle system lies within a lower load region of the predetermined range, the control means disconnects the disconnection means to allow the motor to drive the compression unit even while the vehicle engine is running.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Keiichi Uno, Yasushi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20050220642
    Abstract: A switch valve structure of a fluid machine (10) having a pump mode to operate as a compressor and a motor mode to operate as an expander is disclosed. In pump mode, a communication path (106) between a working chamber (V) and a high-pressure chamber (104) is closed, while in motor mode, the communication path (106) is opened by a valve unit (107d). The valve unit (107d) is includes a spool portion (117) sliding in the direction substantially perpendicular to the surface to which the communication path (106) opens and a valve portion (127) arranged at the forward end of the spool portion (127) and sliding with the spool portion (117) thereby to open/close the communication path (106). A swivel mechanism (137) is interposed between the spool portion (117) and the valve portion (127) to tilt the sliding axis of the valve portion (127) at an arbitrary angle with respect to the sliding axis of the spool portion (117).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Publication date: October 6, 2005
    Inventors: Keiichi Uno, Shigeki Iwanami, Mikio Matsuda, Hiroshi Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20050217288
    Abstract: A waste heat energy recovery system has a refrigerant cycle and a Rankine cycle. When the cycle operation is changed from the refrigerant cycle to the Rankine cycle, an expansion device is started after the pump is started. When the cycle operation is changed from the Rankine cycle to the refrigerant cycle, the expansion device is stopped after the pump is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2005
    Publication date: October 6, 2005
    Inventors: Keiichi Uno, Hironori Asa, Atsushi Inaba, Takashi Yamanaka, Hideji Yoshida, Hiroshi Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20050220646
    Abstract: After the tooth portion 102b of the stationary scroll 102 and the tooth portion 103b of the revolving scroll 103 have contacted each other on one contact face 121 in the central portion of the scroll (shown in FIG. 5A), when this contact face 121 is shifted to two sliding contact portions 122, 123, the operating chamber V is formed between the two sliding contact portions 122, 123 (shown in FIG. 5B), and the refrigerant introducing port 105a is open to the region on the contact face 121. Accordingly, the operating chamber can be instantaneously changed over while the sealing property is ensured. Due to the above structure, the sealing property for suppressing leakage from the high pressure side at the time of the expansion mode can be compatible with the smoothing property for smoothing a change-over of the scroll operating chamber successively formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Publication date: October 6, 2005
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ogawa, Tadashi Hotta, Shigeki Iwanami, Keiichi Uno
  • Publication number: 20050214148
    Abstract: An outer end of a seal element for a fixed scroll is extended to a position close to an end of an inside spiral wall of the fixed scroll, and an outwardly extended portion is formed at an outer periphery of a disc-shaped base plate of a movable scroll, so that a bottom surface of the movable scroll is always kept in a sliding contact entirely with the seal element during the orbital movement of the movable scroll. A thickness of the outwardly extended portion formed at the outer periphery of the disc-shaped base plate is made smaller than that of the disc-shaped base plate, so that the weight of the fluid machine can be smaller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2005
    Publication date: September 29, 2005
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ogawa, Tadashi Hotta, Shigeki Iwanami, Keiichi Uno
  • Publication number: 20050193734
    Abstract: An expansion-and-compressor device of a fluid machine has a pump mode operation in which the expansion-and-compressor device is rotated by a driving force from a driving source to compress working fluid, and a motor mode operation in which the fluid pressure is converted into energy of movement to output kinetic energy. The fluid machine further has a transmission device for transmitting the driving force from the driving source with increased rotational speed, when the expansion-and-compressor device is operated in the pump mode operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Hironori Asa, Keiichi Uno, Yasuhiro Takeuchi, Hiroshi Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20050188713
    Abstract: A fluid machine for a gas compression refrigerating system comprises a first and a second working for performing a pump mode operation, in which working fluid of low pressure is sucked into and compressed by the working chambers. The fluid machine further comprises valve mechanism for selectively forming a motor mode passage in combination with a fluid passage change-over device, so that super heated working fluid of high pressure is introduced into at least one of the working chambers to perform a motor mode operation, in which the high pressure working fluid is expanded in the working chamber to obtain mechanical energy. The fluid machine according to the invention, therefore, performs the pump mode operation at one of the working chambers and at the same time the motor mode operation at the other working chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Publication date: September 1, 2005
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ogawa, Mikio Matsuda, Kazuhide Uchida, Shigeki Iwanami, Keiichi Uno, Hironori Asa
  • Publication number: 20050109499
    Abstract: A low-cost vehicle air-conditioning apparatus for idle stopping vehicles is capable of performing both cooling and heating operations throughout the year. The air-conditioning apparatus includes an engine-driven compressor and engine-driven pump for a heating unit. The air-conditioning apparatus includes a motor-driven compressor and pump. A control unit drives the motor such that the motor-driven compressor is operated when there is a need for cooling and the motor-driven pump is operated when there is a need for heating when the engine is stopped. Battery power is conserved through various methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2005
    Publication date: May 26, 2005
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Yasushi Suzuki, Yasushi Yamanaka, Yukio Ogawa, Keiichi Uno
  • Publication number: 20050074339
    Abstract: In a hybrid compressor device having a pulley 110, motor 120, compressor 130 and control unit 160, the respective rotary shafts 111, 121, 131 of the pulley 110, motor 120 and compressor 130 can be independently rotated, and these rotary shafts are connected to a speed change mechanism 150 by which a drive force can be transmitted from one rotary shaft 111 to the other remaining rotary shafts 121, 131 while the rotating speed is being changed. The motor 120 is composed of an IPM motor 120, in the rotor portion 120a of which permanent magnets 122 are arranged, and the speed change mechanism 150 is accommodated on the inner circumferential side of the rotor portion 120a. The control unit 160 adjusts a rotating speed of the motor 120, and the rotating speed of the compressor 130 can be increased and decreased with respect to the rotating speed of the pulley 110.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2004
    Publication date: April 7, 2005
    Inventors: Hironori Asa, Keiichi Uno, Hiroshi Ogawa
  • Patent number: 6874328
    Abstract: In a hybrid compressor for a vehicle where a vehicle engine is stopped when the vehicle is temporally stopped, a pulley, a motor and a compressor can be driven in independent from each other, and are connected to a sun gear, planetary carriers and a ring gear of a planetary gear. A rotational speed of the motor is adjusted by a controller, so that a rotational speed of the compressor is changed with respect to a rotational speed of the pulley. Accordingly, production cost of the hybrid compressor and the size thereof can be reduced, while a cooling function can be ensured even when the vehicle engine is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignees: Nippon Soken Inc., Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yasushi Suzuki, Shigeki Iwanami, Hironori Asa, Keiichi Uno
  • Publication number: 20040258539
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to minimize energy loss to be generated at a driving shaft and a shaft seal device, when an electric rotating device is driven by an expansion-and-compressor device. According to a feature of the invention, a first driving shaft is rotationally supported by a housing and transmits a driving force from an engine to a second shaft of the expansion-and-compressor device, wherein a shaft seal device is provided on the first driving shaft for air-tightly sealing the inside of the housing from the outside of the housing. A power transmission control device (electromagnetic clutch or one way clutch) is operatively provided in a path between the first driving shaft and the second shaft, so that power transmission from the second shaft to the first driving shaft is cut off, to suppress any energy loss to be generated between the first driving shaft and the shaft seal device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2004
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, NIPPON SOKEN
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Yasushi Suzuki, Keiichi Uno, Kazuhide Uchida, Tadashi Hotta
  • Publication number: 20040231331
    Abstract: A fluid machine according to the present invention has an expansion-and-compressor device selectively operating as an expansion device for collecting waste heat from an internal combustion engine and converting the collected heat energy into mechanical rotational force, and as a compressor device for compressing refrigerant for a refrigerating cycle for air conditioner. The fluid machine further comprises an electric rotating device selectively operating as an electric power generator and as an electric motor. A power transmission device is further provided between the expansion-and-compressor device and the electric rotating device for selectively transmitting the rotational force from the expansion-and-compressor device to the electric rotating device and vice versa. The power transmission device is composed of a planetary gear train so that it can change rotational speed to be transmitted to the expansion-and-compressor device or to the electric rotating device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Yasushi Suzuki, Keiichi Uno, Kazuhide Uchida, Tadashi Hotta, Hironori Asa, Yasuhiro Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6802796
    Abstract: A control device is provided in a hybrid-driven auxiliary system using an engine and a motor as driving force. The control device includes: an auxiliary unit into which the motor is integrally assembled; current controlling means for controlling an electric current of the motor for driving or generating; current detecting means for detecting the electric current of the motor; and load torque computing means for computing, based on the electric current of the motor, a load torque when the auxiliary unit is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignees: Nippon Soken, Inc., Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hironori Asa, Yasushi Suzuki, Keiichi Uno
  • Publication number: 20040187506
    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: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2004
    Publication date: September 30, 2004
    Applicant: 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
  • Publication number: 20040184923
    Abstract: A check valve is provided to each discharge port, which communicates between a corresponding working chamber and a high pressure chamber in an integrated compressor/expander apparatus. A valve mechanism, which is opened in a motor mode, is provided to communicate between the working chamber and the high pressure chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2004
    Publication date: September 23, 2004
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, NIPPON SOKEN, INC.
    Inventors: Shigeki Iwanami, Yasushi Yamanaka, Yasushi Suzuki, Atsushi Inaba, Hironori Asa, Keiichi Uno, Kazuhide Uchida
  • Publication number: 20040165995
    Abstract: In a hybrid compressor for a vehicle where a vehicle engine is stopped when the vehicle is temporally stopped, a pulley, a motor and a compressor can be driven in independent from each other, and are connected to a sun gear, planetary carriers and a ring gear of a planetary gear. A rotational speed of the motor is adjusted by a controller, so that a rotational speed of the compressor is changed with respect to a rotational speed of the pulley. Accordingly, production cost of the hybrid compressor and the size thereof can be reduced, while a cooling function can be ensured even when the vehicle engine is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Inventors: Yasushi Suzuki, Shigeki Iwanami, Hironori Asa, Keiichi Uno