Patents by Inventor Koutarou ITOU

Koutarou ITOU 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: 11885231
    Abstract: A turbocharger includes a variable nozzle disposed between a turbine housing and a bearing housing and a spring having an annular shape. The spring is disposed between the variable nozzle and the bearing housing, and is configured to generate a biasing force that biases the variable nozzle away from the bearing housing to widen a spacing between the variable nozzle and the bearing housing in a rotation axis direction. The spring includes an outer peripheral portion that applies the biasing force to the variable nozzle and an inner peripheral portion that comes into contact with the bearing housing. The outer peripheral portion of the spring is located further away from the turbine housing than the inner peripheral portion of the spring in the rotation axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Inventor: Koutarou Itou
  • Publication number: 20230160320
    Abstract: A turbocharger includes a variable nozzle disposed between a turbine housing and a bearing housing and a spring having an annular shape. The spring is disposed between the variable nozzle and the bearing housing, and is configured to generate a biasing force that biases the variable nozzle away from the bearing housing to widen a spacing between the variable nozzle and the bearing housing in a rotation axis direction. The spring includes an outer peripheral portion that applies the biasing force to the variable nozzle and an inner peripheral portion that comes into contact with the bearing housing. The outer peripheral portion of the spring is located further away from the turbine housing than the inner peripheral portion of the spring in the rotation axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2023
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Inventor: Koutarou ITOU
  • Patent number: 11162381
    Abstract: A turbocharger includes a turbine housing configured to accommodate a turbine wheel provided at one end of a rotation shaft, a bearing housing joined to the turbine housing and in which a bearing for supporting the rotation shaft is provided; and a variable nozzle unit that is disposed between the turbine housing and the bearing housing. The variable nozzle unit includes a nozzle ring disposed around a rotation axis of the rotation shaft and a support ring provided adjacent to the nozzle ring that includes an outer peripheral portion partially in contact with the turbine housing. One or more non-contact portions are formed in the outer peripheral portion of the support ring and do not contact the turbine housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Inventors: Katsunori Hayashi, Hidenori Kojima, Koutarou Itou, Yoshitaka Iwasa, Takafumi Ueda, Kenichi Segawa
  • Patent number: 11131237
    Abstract: A variable nozzle unit includes: a connection pin which includes a shaft; a support ring which is provided with a first through-hole; and a nozzle ring which is provided with a second through-hole, in which the shaft is inserted through the first through-hole and the second through-hole, one end of the shaft is provided with a flange portion having a diameter larger than that of the second through-hole and the other end of the shaft is provided with a head portion having a diameter larger than that of the first through-hole, the flange portion is in contact with the nozzle ring, and an elastic member that urges the support ring toward the nozzle ring is disposed between the head portion and the support ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventor: Koutarou Itou
  • Publication number: 20210010387
    Abstract: A turbocharger includes a turbine housing configured to accommodate a turbine wheel provided at one end of a rotation shaft, a bearing housing joined to the turbine housing and in which a bearing for supporting the rotation shaft is provided; and a variable nozzle unit that is disposed between the turbine housing and the bearing housing. The variable nozzle unit includes a nozzle ring disposed around a rotation axis of the rotation shaft and a support ring provided adjacent to the nozzle ring that includes an outer peripheral portion partially in contact with the turbine housing. One or more non-contact portions are formed in the outer peripheral portion of the support ring and do not contact the turbine housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventors: Katsunori HAYASHI, Hidenori KOJIMA, Koutarou ITOU, Yoshitaka IWASA, Takafumi UEDA, Kenichi SEGAWA
  • Patent number: 10781823
    Abstract: An impeller includes: a main body portion which is increased in diameter from one side to another side in a rotation axis direction; a thinned portion, which is formed in a back surface of the main body portion so as to be oriented toward the another side in the rotation axis direction, and is recessed toward the one side in the rotation axis direction; a plurality of full blades which are formed on an outer circumferential surface of the main body portion so as to be oriented toward the one side in the rotation axis direction; and a plurality of splitter blades, which are formed on the outer circumferential surface, and have end portions being located on the one side in the rotation axis direction and being positioned on the another side in the rotation axis direction with respect to the full blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Taiki Yoshizaki, Koutarou Itou, Takashi Yoshida, Takuya Ozasa, Kuniaki Iizuka
  • Patent number: 10302012
    Abstract: A plurality of variable nozzles is provided at equal intervals in a circumferential direction so as to surround a turbine wheel between a facing surface of a first nozzle ring and a facing surface of a second nozzle ring. The first nozzle ring is constituted by three nozzle ring segments laminated along the axial direction. In the three nozzle ring segments, a thickness of the nozzle ring segment on a side far from the bearing housing is smaller than a thickness of the nozzle ring segment on a side close to the bearing housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Taiki Yoshizaki, Koutarou Itou
  • Publication number: 20190136756
    Abstract: A variable nozzle unit includes: a connection pin which includes a shaft; a support ring which is provided with a first through-hole; and a nozzle ring which is provided with a second through-hole, in which the shaft is inserted through the first through-hole and the second through-hole, one end of the shaft is provided with a flange portion having a diameter larger than that of the second through-hole and the other end of the shaft is provided with a head portion having a diameter larger than that of the first through-hole, the flange portion is in contact with the nozzle ring, and an elastic member that urges the support ring toward the nozzle ring is disposed between the head portion and the support ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Applicant: IHI Corporation
    Inventor: Koutarou ITOU
  • Patent number: 10208660
    Abstract: A support ring is connected to a first nozzle ring by multiple connecting pins. An outer cutout is formed at a region on an outer side in a radial direction at a rim on an axially one side of each first attachment hole in the first nozzle ring. An inner cutout is formed at a region on an inner side in the radial direction at the rim on the axially one side of each first attachment hole in the first nozzle ring. An outer cutout is formed at a region on an outer side in the radial direction at a rim on an axially other side of each pin hole in the support ring. An inner cutout is formed at a region on an inner side in the radial direction at the rim on the axially other side of each pin hole in the support ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Jose Javier Bayod, Koutarou Itou, Taiki Yoshizaki
  • Patent number: 10125673
    Abstract: In a variable nozzle unit, at a position located away from and opposed to a first nozzle ring in a right-left direction, a second nozzle ring is provided integrally with the first nozzle ring through multiple connecting pins arranged in a circumferential direction. An inner edge portion of a support ring is connected to the first nozzle ring by riveting of one end portions of the multiple connecting pins. Each pin hole in the support ring is formed into such a shape extending in a radial direction of the support ring. A washer is provided between a rim of each pin hole in the support ring and a rivet head brought about by joining of the end portion of the corresponding connecting pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Jose Javier Bayod, Koutarou Itou, Taiki Yoshizaki, Tomohiro Inoue, Kenji Bunno, Takao Asakawa, Ryota Sakisaka, Kazuko Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20180209437
    Abstract: An impeller includes: a main body portion which is increased in diameter from one side to another side in a rotation axis direction; a thinned portion, which is formed in a back surface of the main body portion so as to be oriented toward the another side in the rotation axis direction, and is recessed toward the one side in the rotation axis direction; a plurality of full blades which are formed on an outer circumferential surface of the main body portion so as to be oriented toward the one side in the rotation axis direction; and a plurality of splitter blades, which are formed on the outer circumferential surface, and have end portions being located on the one side in the rotation axis direction and being positioned on the another side in the rotation axis direction with respect to the full blades.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Applicant: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Taiki YOSHIZAKI, Koutarou ITOU, Takashi YOSHIDA, Takuya OZASA, Kuniaki IIZUKA
  • Publication number: 20170130646
    Abstract: A plurality of variable nozzles is provided at equal intervals in a circumferential direction so as to surround a turbine wheel between a facing surface of a first nozzle ring and a facing surface of a second nozzle ring. The first nozzle ring is constituted by three nozzle ring segments laminated along the axial direction. In the three nozzle ring segments, a thickness of the nozzle ring segment on a side far from the bearing housing is smaller than a thickness of the nozzle ring segment on a side close to the bearing housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Applicant: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Taiki YOSHIZAKI, Koutarou ITOU
  • Publication number: 20170082018
    Abstract: A support ring is connected to a first nozzle ring by multiple connecting pins. An outer cutout is formed at a region on an outer side in a radial direction at a rim on an axially one side of each first attachment hole in the first nozzle ring. An inner cutout is formed at a region on an inner side in the radial direction at the rim on the axially one side of each first attachment hole in the first nozzle ring. An outer cutout is formed at a region on an outer side in the radial direction at a rim on an axially other side of each pin hole in the support ring. An inner cutout is formed at a region on an inner side in the radial direction at the rim on the axially other side of each pin hole in the support ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Jose Javier BAYOD, Koutarou ITOU, Taiki YOSHIZAKI
  • Publication number: 20170058764
    Abstract: In a variable nozzle unit, at a position located away from and opposed to a first nozzle ring in a right-left direction, a second nozzle ring is provided integrally with the first nozzle ring through multiple connecting pins arranged in a circumferential direction. An inner edge portion of a support ring is connected to the first nozzle ring by riveting of one end portions of the multiple connecting pins. Each pin hole in the support ring is formed into such a shape extending in a radial direction of the support ring. A washer is provided between a rim of each pin hole in the support ring and a rivet head brought about by joining of the end portion of the corresponding connecting pin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Applicant: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Jose Javier BAYOD, Koutarou ITOU, Taiki YOSHIZAKI, Tomohiro INOUE, Kenji BUNNO, Takao ASAKAWA, Ryota SAKISAKA, Kazuko TAKEUCHI