Patents by Inventor Masahiro Honda

Masahiro Honda 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: 11274866
    Abstract: An air conditioning system includes a refrigerant circuit including a use-side circuit, heat-source-side circuit and refrigerant release circuit, a refrigerant leakage detection unit in the use-side circuit, a heat-source-side control valve that enables, when in an opened state, the heat-source-side circuit to communicate with the refrigerant release circuit, a rupture disk that is disposed in the refrigerant release circuit and enables, when in a first state (an open state), the refrigerant release circuit to communicate with an external space to release refrigerant, and a controller. When no leakage of refrigerant in the use-side circuit is detected, the controller controls the heat-source-side control valve to a. closed state. When leakage of refrigerant, in the use-side circuit is detected by the refrigerant leakage detection unit, the controller switches the heat-source-side control valve to the opened state and causes the rupture disk to shift to the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Masahiro Honda, Tetsuya Shirasaki
  • Patent number: 11268740
    Abstract: An air conditioning system includes: outdoor and indoor heat exchangers; first, second, and third control valves, which block refrigerant flow when fully closed; and a pressure adjuster. The first and second control valves are disposed in a gas-side refrigerant flow path (GL) between the outdoor and indoor heat exchangers. The third control valve is disposed in a liquid-side refrigerant flow path (LL) between the outdoor and indoor heat exchangers. The pressure adjuster adjusts the pressure of refrigerant in an indoor-side refrigerant flow path (IL) between the first control valve and the second control valve or the third control valve and the indoor heat exchanger. The pressure adjuster includes a pressure adjusting valve that bypasses refrigerant in the indoor-side refrigerant flow path (IL) to an outdoor-side refrigerant flow path (OL) between the first control valve and the second control valve or the third control valve and the outdoor heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Yuusuke Nakagawa, Yuusuke Oka, Masahiro Honda
  • Patent number: 11248826
    Abstract: In a refrigeration apparatus including a refrigerant circuit in which a refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state flows through a liquid-side connection pipe, a refrigerant-amount determining method and a refrigerant-amount determining device capable of grasping an appropriate refrigerant charging amount corresponding to the length of the connection pipe is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Yuusuke Nakagawa, Masahiro Honda, Yuusuke Oka, Hiroki Sasayama
  • Publication number: 20220003472
    Abstract: The technique in PTL 1 is incapable of grasping a decrease in the amount of a refrigerant from an initial amount of the refrigerant, and the determination of the amount of the refrigerant is insufficient for the purpose other than protection of a compressor. A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes an air temperature sensor, and a condensation temperature sensor. The air temperature sensor detects an air temperature, which is a temperature of air that flows into a condenser. The condensation temperature sensor detects a condensation temperature of the refrigerant that flows through the condenser. The apparatus is configured to acquire a temperature difference between the air temperature and the condensation temperature. The apparatus is further configured to determine an amount of the refrigerant included in the refrigerant circuit by comparing a first temperature difference and a second temperature difference with each other. The first temperature difference is a temperature difference at a first timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicant: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki OKUDA, Tooru NISHIKAWA, Masahiro HONDA, Hiroshi YOH
  • Patent number: 11199342
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a liquid pressure adjusting expansion valve that is located in an outdoor liquid refrigerant pipe at a part thereof closer to a liquid refrigerant communication pipe than to a refrigerant cooler and configured to reduce a pressure of a refrigerant so that a refrigerant flows through the liquid refrigerant communication pipe in a gas-liquid two-phase state and so that the refrigerant flows through an outlet of a refrigerant cooler in a liquid state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeki Kamitani, Masahiro Honda
  • Patent number: 11105620
    Abstract: A method for determining a pipe diameter of a liquid-side connection pipe in a refrigeration apparatus includes causing a computer to obtain a heating capacity, maximum heating load, and maximum cooling load; causing the computer to determine a pipe diameter of the liquid-side connection pipe by reducing a reference pipe diameter based on either a value obtained by dividing the maximum heating load by the maximum cooling load or a value obtained by subtracting the maximum heating load from the heating capacity; and installing the refrigeration apparatus using the liquid-side connection pipe having the determined pipe diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Yuusuke Nakagawa, Masahiro Honda
  • Patent number: 11047590
    Abstract: An air conditioner, in which a liquid-pressure adjustment expansion valve that decompresses a refrigerant so that the refrigerant flowing through a liquid-refrigerant connection pipe is in a gas-liquid two-phase state is provided in an outdoor liquid-refrigerant pipe that connects a liquid-side end of an outdoor heat exchanger to the liquid-refrigerant connection pipe, properly transports the refrigerant in a two-phase state while suppressing an increase in a discharge temperature of a compressor. A liquid injection pipe that branches part of a refrigerant flowing through an outdoor liquid-refrigerant pipe and feeds the branched refrigerant to a compressor is connected to a portion of the outdoor liquid-refrigerant pipe on a side of an outdoor heat exchanger with respect to a liquid-pressure adjustment expansion valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Yuusuke Nakagawa, Masahiro Honda, Yuusuke Oka
  • Publication number: 20210175679
    Abstract: A laser oscillator includes a first structure disposed with an optical section, a second structure disposed with a power source section, and an electric cable that electrically connects the optical section and the power source section. The first structure is removably coupled to the second structure, the electric cable is removably connected to at least one of the power source section and the optical section, and the optical section is allowed to be replaced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Honda, Yuuta Sugimachi
  • Patent number: 11022354
    Abstract: Noise that is generated from an indoor unit is suppressed when performing two-phase transport of refrigerant by using a liquid-pressure-adjusting expansion valve in an air conditioner including an outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger, a relay unit that switches the plurality of indoor heat exchangers so that the indoor heat exchangers individually function as an evaporator or radiator for refrigerant, and a liquid-refrigerant connection pipe and a gas-refrigerant connection pipe that connect the outdoor unit and the indoor unit via the relay unit. The relay unit includes a relay expansion valve that further decompresses the refrigerant that has been decompressed by the liquid-pressure-adjusting expansion valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Yuusuke Nakagawa, Yuusuke Oka, Masahiro Honda
  • Publication number: 20210148620
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides added safety to a refrigeration apparatus. The air conditioning system (100) includes: a refrigerant circuit (RC) including a use-side circuit (RC2), a heat-source-side circuit (RC1), and a refrigerant release circuit (RC3); a refrigerant leakage detection unit (a refrigerant leakage sensor (50) and a refrigerant leakage determination unit (74)) that detects leakage of refrigerant in the use-side circuit (RC2); a heat-source-side fourth control valve (22) that enables, when being in an opened state, the heat-source-side circuit (RC1) to communicate with the refrigerant release circuit (RC3); a refrigerant release mechanism (21) that is disposed in the refrigerant release circuit (RC3) and enables, when being in a first state (an open state), the refrigerant release circuit (RC3) to communicate with an external space to release refrigerant; and a controller (70).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Takuro YAMADA, Masahiro HONDA, Tetsuya SHIRASAKI
  • Publication number: 20210131706
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes: an outdoor unit; a liquid-refrigerant connection pipe and a gas-refrigerant connection pipe; an indoor unit; a gas-side shutoff valve; a refrigerant sensor; and a controller. The indoor unit is connected to the outdoor unit via the liquid-refrigerant and gas-refrigerant connection pipes, is arranged in an air-conditioning target space, and includes: an indoor heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant circulated between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit via the liquid-refrigerant and gas-refrigerant connection pipes and air sent to the air-conditioning target space; an indoor expansion valve that decompresses the refrigerant; a heat-exchange-side indoor liquid-refrigerant pipe that connects a liquid side of the indoor heat exchanger to the indoor expansion valve; and a connection-side indoor liquid-refrigerant pipe that connects the indoor expansion valve to the liquid-refrigerant connection pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Masahiro Honda, Yuusuke Oka
  • Patent number: 10976090
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes: liquid-side indoor expansion valves corresponding to a liquid side of respective indoor heat exchangers; and gas-side indoor expansion valves corresponding to a gas side of the respective indoor heat exchangers. In a case where both a heating-operation indoor heat exchanger and a heating-stopped indoor heat exchanger are present, the controller of the air conditioner controls the liquid-side indoor expansion valve and the gas-side indoor expansion valve corresponding to the heating-stopped indoor heat exchanger such that an opening degree of the gas-side indoor expansion valve becomes smaller than an opening degree of the liquid-side indoor expansion valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro Yamada, Yuusuke Nakagawa, Masahiro Honda, Yuusuke Oka
  • Publication number: 20210078660
    Abstract: A control device is for a human-powered vehicle that includes a vehicle component and a plurality of detectors. The detectors are configured to detect information related to a vehicle speed of the human-powered vehicle in which the information related to the vehicle speed differs between the detectors. The detectors includes at least a first detector. The control device includes an electronic controller. The electronic controller is configured to control the vehicle component in accordance with an output of the first detector in a case where the output of the first detector is in a first state. The electronic controller is configured to control the vehicle component in accordance with an output of a predetermined detector that differs from the first detector among the detectors in a case where the output of the first detector is not in the first state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Masahiro HONDA, Yasuhiro TSUCHIZAWA
  • Publication number: 20210071920
    Abstract: An air-conditioning system that performs a refrigeration cycle in a refrigerant circuit includes: an outdoor unit; a plurality of indoor units; a refrigerant connection pipe that connects the outdoor unit and the indoor units; and a first control valve disposed in the refrigerant connection pipe and that blocks a flow of refrigerant. The refrigerant connection pipe includes: a plurality of indoor-side pipes that each communicate with one of the indoor units; an outdoor-side pipe that communicates with two or more of the indoor-side pipes from an outdoor unit side; and a branch that connects the outdoor-side pipe and a group of two or more of the indoor-side pipes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Inventors: Takuro YAMADA, Masahiro HONDA
  • Publication number: 20210024168
    Abstract: A control system for a human-powered vehicle includes an input device, an additional input device, and a controller. The input device is configured to receive manual input from a rider. The additional input device is configured to receive manual input from the rider. The controller is configured to control a shifting device of the human-powered vehicle based on one of an output signal from the input device and an output signal from the additional input device. The controller is configured to output one of a first control signal for a single shifting operation and a second control signal for a multiple shifting operation in response to the manual input received by one of the input device and the additional input device. The controller is further configured to output one of a first control signal and a second control signal based on a state of the human-powered vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Masahiro Honda, Hideaki Yao, Satoshi Shahana, Katsuhiro Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20200386433
    Abstract: An HVAC system is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventors: Masahiro Honda, Junichi Shimoda, Takashi Shimamura, Yuuji Yamada, Hideyuki Nakagawa, Hiroyuki Imada, David Palazzolo, Joseph Kelly Hearnsberger, Sriram Venkat, Chris Bellshaw, John Clements, Masahiro Oka, Akinori Nakai, Cheng Li, Takahiro Yamada
  • Patent number: 10852042
    Abstract: As a shut-off valve inspection process for checking operation of a liquid side shut-off valve and a gas side shut-off valve, an air conditioning system operates a compressor in a cooling cycle state, performs opening and closing operation of the liquid side shut-off valve and the gas side shut-off valve, and determines whether the liquid side shut-off valve and the gas side shut-off valve properly operate on the basis of a temperature value detected by a temperature sensor provided in an indoor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Honda, Shigeki Kamitani
  • Patent number: 10840665
    Abstract: A laser machining apparatus has a machining head connected to a laser oscillator having a plurality of current control units, a plurality of laser diode modules, a plurality of cavities, and a beam combiner, and performs machining by outputting light from the machining head under the control of the control unit. The laser machining apparatus includes: a current monitor unit which monitors each value of current controlled by the plurality of current control units; a power monitor unit which monitors each value of intensity of light outputted by the plurality of laser diode modules, each value of intensity of light outputted by the plurality of laser cavities, and value of intensity of light outputted by the beam combiner; and a judgment unit that judges a failure location based on values of current monitored by the current monitor unit, and values of intensity of light monitored by the power monitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masahiro Honda
  • Patent number: 10829179
    Abstract: A control system for a human-powered vehicle includes an input device, an additional input device, and a controller. The input device is configured to receive manual input from a rider. The additional input device is configured to receive manual input from the rider. The controller is configured to control a shifting device of the human-powered vehicle based on one of an output signal from the input device and an output signal from the additional input device. The controller is configured to output one of a first control signal for a single shifting operation and a second control signal for a multiple shifting operation in response to the manual input received by one of the input device and the additional input device. The controller is further configured to output one of a first control signal and a second control signal based on a state of the human-powered vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventors: Masahiro Honda, Hideaki Yao, Satoshi Shahana, Katsuhiro Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20200318875
    Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus includes: a heat source unit including a compressor for refrigerant and a heat-source-side heat exchanger; utilization units, each of which is connected in parallel to the heat source unit and includes a utilization-side heat exchanger; a refrigerant-flow-path switching unit that includes first gas-side control valves, each of which switches a flow of refrigerant in a corresponding one of the utilization units, and individually switches a flow of refrigerant in each of the utilization units; a first gas-side connection pipe disposed between the heat source unit and each of the first gas-side control valves and through which high-pressure gas refrigerant flows; first gas-side branch pipes, each of which is included in the first gas-side connection pipe and communicates with a corresponding one of the utilization units; and a blocking valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Takuro YAMADA, Yuusuke NAKAGAWA, Yuusuke OKA, Masahiro HONDA