Patents by Inventor Koji Azuma
Koji Azuma 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).
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Publication number: 20190284410Abstract: The present invention relates to a water-based pigment dispersion having not only excellent storage stability capable of suppressing solidification of a pigment or the like in ink ejection nozzles, but also excellent ejection properties and fixing properties, while maintaining good water resistance of the pigment dispersion as an advantage attained by using the pigment therein.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2016Publication date: September 19, 2019Applicant: KAO CORPORATIONInventors: Koji AZUMA, Hirokazu HYAKUDA, Yusuke SHIMIZU, Tetsuya EGUCHI, Hiroki KAWAGUCHI
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Patent number: 10393418Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit, indoor units, and a relay unit, and forms a refrigerant circuit. The air-conditioning apparatus further includes a fourth flow control device that regulates the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the heat source unit-side heat exchanger, a switching valve that regulates the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through a bypass pipe, and a control unit that controls the first heat-source-unit flow control device and the switching valve based on a pressure on a refrigerant inlet side of the heat source unit-side heat exchanger, an inlet temperature and an outlet temperature of a medium passing through the heat source unit-side heat exchanger, and the ratio of a cooling operation capacity to a heating operation capacity of the use-side heat exchangers.Type: GrantFiled: December 25, 2013Date of Patent: August 27, 2019Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Hirofumi Koge, Koji Azuma
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Patent number: 10168060Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a compressor for compressing and discharging refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and a heat medium that enters the outdoor heat exchanger; an indoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and a surrounding medium of use; a bypass pipe for bypassing the refrigerant that is to enter the outdoor heat exchanger; and a bypass flow control valve arranged on the bypass pipe, for adjusting a flow of the refrigerant that is to enter the outdoor heat exchanger, in which the outdoor heat exchanger includes a first passage through which the refrigerant flows, and a second passage through which the heat medium flows, and in which the first passage allows the refrigerant to flow upward.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2013Date of Patent: January 1, 2019Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Kosuke Tanaka, Hirofumi Koge, Koji Azuma
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Patent number: 10139125Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes at least one system including a heat-medium conveying device, a heat-medium flow regulator, and a heat-medium flow control device, as a heat medium system capable of regulating a flow rate of a heat medium supplied to a heat source device-side heat exchanger exchanging heat between refrigerant and the heat medium. The air-conditioning apparatus switches each of a plurality of use-side heat exchangers to a cooling operation or a heating operation in accordance with a control command to perform a cooling and heating simultaneous operation. The refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat source device-side heat exchanger depending on a ratio of a total cooling capacity and a total heating capacity of the plurality of use-side heat exchangers.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2015Date of Patent: November 27, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Koji Azuma, Hirofumi Koge, Osamu Morimoto, Kensaku Hatanaka, Kazuyoshi Shinozaki
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Patent number: 10030894Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a heat medium system configured to control a flow rate of the heat medium supplied to the heat source unit side heat exchanger that exchanges heat between refrigerant and the heat medium, the heat medium system having at least one system of a heat medium conveyor, a heat medium flow rate adjuster, and a heat medium flow rate control device. In the air-conditioning apparatus, the operation of each of use-side heat exchangers is changed to a cooling operation or a heating operation in accordance with a control command, and a cooling and heating concurrent operation is performed. The refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat source unit side heat exchanger in accordance with the ratio of the total cooling capacity of the use-side heat exchangers to the total heating capacity of the use-side heat exchangers.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2015Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Koji Azuma, Hirofumi Koge, Osamu Morimoto, Kensaku Hatanaka, Kazuyoshi Shinozaki
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Patent number: 10006678Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a intermediate heat exchangers operating as a condenser or an evaporator and allows each intermediate heat exchanger to exchange heat between a refrigerant heated or cooled in a refrigeration cycle on a heat source side and a heat transfer medium flowing through a heat transfer medium circuit on a use side such that heat energy produced on the heat source side is transmitted to use side heat exchangers. A controller calculates the heat transfer medium temperature difference between a heat transfer medium inlet and outlet temperatures. When a detected value of a heat transfer medium temperature detecting device deviates from a predetermined range, the controller changes the target heat transfer medium temperature difference and controls a heat transfer medium flow control device, such that the heat transfer medium temperature difference reaches the changed target heat transfer medium temperature difference.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2011Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Keisuke Takayama, Koji Azuma, Yuji Motomura
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Patent number: 9964343Abstract: A flow rate of circulating water to a water heat exchanger is determined by multiplying, by a rated water flow rate, a ratio of an absolute value of a difference between a total operation capacity of each of indoor side heat exchangers serving as a heating load and a total operation capacity of each of indoor side heat exchangers serving as a cooling load to a total operation capacity of the water heat exchanger.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2014Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Kensaku Hatanaka, Kosuke Tanaka, Koji Azuma
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Patent number: 9897359Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a refrigeration cycle that includes one or more intermediate heat exchangers, exchanging heat between a heat source side refrigerant and a heat medium different from the heat source side refrigerant, a heat medium circuit that includes at least one pump configured to circulate the heat medium for heat exchange by the intermediate heat exchanger, a use side heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the heat medium and air in an air-conditioning target space, and flow switching valves configured to switch between passing the heated heat medium through the use side heat exchanger and passing the cooled heat medium through the use side heat exchanger and in which the pump, the use side heat exchanger, and the flow switching valves are connected by pipes, and a controller configured to calculate an actual temperature efficiency ratio based on a temperature at a heat medium inlet of the heat exchanger in the heat medium circuit and determine whether a flow rate of theType: GrantFiled: January 18, 2012Date of Patent: February 20, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Osamu Morimoto, Daisuke Shimamoto, Koji Azuma, Takayoshi Honda
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Patent number: 9857115Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus is provided to which, even when a heat medium leaks from a heat medium circuit for some reason and air enters the heat medium circuit, the heat medium circuit can be automatically refilled with the heat medium before a pump is heated and damaged. When it is determined that a rotational speed of a pump is higher than an upper rotational speed limit, the controller determines that the heat medium is leaking from the heat medium circuit and performs a heat-medium-introducing and air-purging control process.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2012Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Takayoshi Honda, Osamu Morimoto, Daisuke Shimamoto, Koji Azuma
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Patent number: 9829224Abstract: A refrigerant circuit is configured by connecting, by pipes, a compressor that compresses a heat-source-side refrigerant, a first refrigerant flow switching device, a heat-source-side heat exchanger, an expansion device, and one or more intermediate heat exchangers that exchange heat between a heat-source-side refrigerant and a heat medium that is different from the heat-source-side refrigerant. A controller performs control of pumps to drive the pumps at a specific pump capacity or higher to circulate the heat medium at a time when a heat recovery defrosting operation for causing the heat-source-side refrigerant that has been heated by the heat medium in the intermediate heat exchangers to flow into the heat-source-side heat exchanger for defrosting purposes.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2011Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Osamu Morimoto, Daisuke Shimamoto, Koji Azuma, Takayoshi Honda
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Patent number: 9791180Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the heat medium sent from each of the intermediate heat exchangers to each of the use-side heat exchangers, and a temperature of the heat medium that has exited each of the use-side heat exchangers, an opening degree controller for regulating a flow rate of the heat medium through each of the heat medium flow control devices, and a computing unit for computing a usage capacity of each of the indoor units from a rotation speed of the pump, an opening degree of each of the heat medium flow control devices, temperatures detected by the temperature sensors, and power consumption of each of the indoor units, and proportionally dividing the power consumption for a common portion among each of the indoor units based on the computed usage capacity and the power consumption of the common portion.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2011Date of Patent: October 17, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Daisuke Shimamoto, Osamu Morimoto, Takayoshi Honda, Koji Azuma, Koji Nishioka
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Patent number: 9791194Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus is capable of completing heat medium freeze prevention control more quickly by performing heat medium temperature rise control for raising the temperature of a cooled heat medium and includes a controller that adjusts a current opening degree of a bypass device at a bypass pipe to an opening degree, and that makes an adjustment such that the flow passage resistance in the case of the opening degree becomes equal to the flow passage resistance in the case of an opening degree before an expansion device is adjusted to a minimum opening degree.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2011Date of Patent: October 17, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Keisuke Takayama, Koji Azuma, Yuji Motomura, Takeshi Hatomura
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Publication number: 20170198945Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a heat medium system configured to control a flow rate of the heat medium supplied to the heat source unit side heat exchanger that exchanges heat between refrigerant and the heat medium, the heat medium system having at least one system of a heat medium conveyor, a heat medium flow rate adjuster, and a heat medium flow rate control device. In the air-conditioning apparatus, the operation of each of use-side heat exchangers is changed to a cooling operation or a heating operation in accordance with a control command, and a cooling and heating concurrent operation is performed. The refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat source unit side heat exchanger in accordance with the ratio of the total cooling capacity of the use-side heat exchangers to the total heating capacity of the use-side heat exchangers.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2015Publication date: July 13, 2017Inventors: Koji AZUMA, Hirofumi KOGE, Osamu MORIMOTO, Kensaku HATANAKA, Kazuyoshi SHINOZAKI
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Publication number: 20170130996Abstract: A flow rate of circulating water to a water heat exchanger is determined by multiplying, by a rated water flow rate, a ratio of an absolute value of a difference between a total operation capacity of each of indoor side heat exchangers serving as a heating load and a total operation capacity of each of indoor side heat exchangers serving as a cooling load to a total operation capacity of the water heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 21, 2014Publication date: May 11, 2017Inventors: Kensaku HATANAKA, Kosuke TANAKA, Koji AZUMA
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Patent number: 9644906Abstract: A method for selecting a heat medium in installing an air-conditioning system includes: determining power required for use side heat exchangers corresponding to a plurality of air-conditioned spaces; calculating a total refrigerant amount required when a refrigerant is circulated through all the use side heat exchangers having the determined power; calculating a refrigerant concentration when the total refrigerant amount leaks to each air-conditioned space using the refrigerant, for each air-conditioned space; determining the refrigerant concentration for each air-conditioned space exceeds a predetermined limit concentration; when any air-conditioned space exceeds the limit concentration, selecting, as a nontoxic medium, the circulation heat medium of the use side heat exchanger installed in one of the air-conditioned spaces; and calculating a total refrigerant amount required when the refrigerant is circulated through all other use side heat exchangers.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2011Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Daisuke Shimamoto, Osamu Morimoto, Takayoshi Honda, Koji Azuma, Koji Nishioka
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Patent number: 9638443Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus is capable of suppressing refrigerant flow noise regardless the refrigerant state of an inlet of an expansion mechanism. In parallel to a flow control valve, an opening and closing valve that opens and closes a refrigerant passage and an expansion mechanism having porous bodies capable of passing a refrigerant therethrough are connected in series with each other. In a heating mode, in the case where a controller stops an operation of one or more of a plurality of indoor units and causes the other indoor unit(s) to operate, the flow control valve of the stopped indoor unit is fully closed and the opening and closing valve of the stopped indoor unit is opened.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2011Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Yusuke Shimazu, Yoshihiro Sumida, Koji Azuma
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Publication number: 20170097177Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes at least one system including a heat-medium conveying device, a heat-medium flow regulator, and a heat-medium flow control device, as a heat medium system capable of regulating a flow rate of a heat medium supplied to a heat source device-side heat exchanger exchanging heat between refrigerant and the heat medium. The air-conditioning apparatus switches each of a plurality of use-side heat exchangers to a cooling operation or a heating operation in accordance with a control command to perform a cooling and heating simultaneous operation. The refrigerant is caused to flow through the heat source device-side heat exchanger depending on a ratio of a total cooling capacity and a total heating capacity of the plurality of use-side heat exchangers.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2015Publication date: April 6, 2017Inventors: Koji AZUMA, Hirofumi KOGE, Osamu MORIMOTO, Kensaku HATANAKA, Kazuyoshi SHINOZAKI
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Publication number: 20170082334Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes two heat source units, each including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator, an accumulator connected to a suction side of the compressor, and at least one of an outdoor air-sending device configured to supply air corresponding to a heat exchange target for refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchanger or a flow control device (bypass and expansion device for bypass) configured to regulate a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger. A controller is configured to control at least one of the outdoor air-sending device or the flow control device so that a suction quality of the compressor of an upper heat source unit installed on an upper side and a suction quality of the compressor of a lower heat source unit installed on a lower side become the same.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2014Publication date: March 23, 2017Inventors: Tomokazu KAWAGOE, Koji AZUMA, Kosuke TANAKA
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Patent number: 9602220Abstract: The disclosure concerns quantum repeater network system that does not need any matter qubit. According to the quantum repeater network system for performing quantum communication between one transmitter/receiver and the other transmitter/receiver via transmission repeaters and reception repeaters, each of the transmission repeaters prepares quantum systems in an irreducibly entangled state, each of the quantum systems being associated with a reception repeater as a transmission destination, and transmits, to the associated reception repeater, each of the quantum systems in the irreducibly entangled state together with a quantum system entangled with the quantum system.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 2014Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignees: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, The Governing Council of the University of TorontoInventors: Koji Azuma, Kiyoshi Tamaki, Hoi-Kwong Lo
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Patent number: 9557083Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus has a heating only temporary operation mode in which, in changing from a heating main operation mode to a heating only operation mode, when an outside air temperature is at or above a predetermined temperature, at least one of heat exchangers functioning as a condenser in the heating main operation mode continues functioning as the condenser, and the refrigerant is not supplied to the intermediate heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator in the heating main operation mode and a cooling only temporary operation mode in which, in changing from a cooling main operation mode to a cooling only operation mode, when the outside air temperature is at or below a predetermined temperature, at least one of heat exchangers functioning as the evaporator in the cooling main operation mode continues functioning as the evaporator, and the refrigerant is not supplied to the intermediate heat exchanger functioning as the condenser in the cooling main operation mode.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2012Date of Patent: January 31, 2017Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Koji Azuma, Daisuke Shimamoto, Osamu Morimoto