Patents by Inventor Ryo Sano

Ryo Sano 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).

  • Publication number: 20240003430
    Abstract: In a valve device, a rotor includes a drive disk and a lever fixed to the drive disk. The lever couples between the drive disk and a shaft. In the valve device, a first torsion spring is placed between a housing and the shaft, and a second torsion spring is placed between the shaft and the lever. A drive device includes an electric motor configured to drive the shaft in a rotational drive range, which is between an initial rotational position and a maximum rotational position, in a first rotational direction toward the initial rotational position and a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction. The first torsion spring urges the shaft relative to the housing in the second rotational direction in the state where the shaft is placed in the initial rotational position upon the rotation of the shaft in the first rotational direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Takehito MIZUNUMA, Ryo SANO
  • Publication number: 20240003440
    Abstract: In a valve device, a housing has a mounting portion that contacts a back surface of a stationary disk which is opposite to a contact surface of the stationary disk while the contact surface is opposed to a rotor. One of the stationary disk and the mounting portion has a receiving groove that receives a gasket which seals a gap between the stationary disk and the mounting portion. The gasket has: two seal surfaces that are opposed to the stationary disk and the mounting portion, respectively; and at least one lateral projection that is opposed to a groove lateral surface of the receiving groove and projects toward the groove lateral surface. The gasket is press-fitted into the receiving groove in a state where the at least one lateral projection is in contact with the groove lateral surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Ryo SANO, Shota KIMURA, Takehito MIZUNUMA
  • Publication number: 20240003429
    Abstract: A valve device includes a stationary disk, a shaft and a rotor. The valve device includes: a housing that has a boss portion, through which the shaft is inserted; and a seal member that is shaped in a ring form and is configured to seal a gap between the shaft and the boss portion. The shaft includes a holder that has a contact portion which is in contact with the seal member. The holder is made of a polymer material which includes reinforcing fibers contained in resin. At least the contact portion at the holder extends in an axial direction of the shaft, and a distal end portion of the holder located on one side in the axial direction is coupled to a gear arrangement of a drive device. The distal end portion of the holder has a trace of an injection gate for injecting the polymer material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Takuya HAMADA, Ryo SANO, Atsushi TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20240003458
    Abstract: In a valve device, a rotor is configured to increase or decrease an opening degree of at least one passage hole formed at a stationary disk in response to rotation of a shaft. The rotor includes a drive disk and a lever while the lever is fixed to the drive disk and couples between the drive disk and the shaft and enables integral rotation of the drive disk and the shaft. The drive disk has a drive-side insertion hole through which the shaft is inserted. A hole diameter of the drive-side insertion hole is larger than a shaft diameter of the shaft, and a hole diameter of at least one of two end portions of the drive-side insertion hole, which are opposite to each other in the axial direction, is larger than a smallest hole diameter of the drive-side insertion hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Shota KIMURA, Ryo SANO
  • Publication number: 20240003431
    Abstract: A valve device includes: a housing; a passage forming portion that has at least one passage hole configured to conduct a fluid; a drive device that is configured to output a rotational force; and a shaft that is configured to be rotated about a central axis. The valve device includes: a rotor that is configured to increase or decrease an opening degree of the at least one passage hole in response to rotation of the shaft; and a torsion spring that surrounds the central axis and is configured to urge the shaft relative to the housing in a circumferential direction of the central axis of the shaft. The housing has a stopper that is configured to contact the shaft and thereby limit a rotational drive range of the shaft when the shaft is rotated to a predetermined position. The stopper is placed at an inside of the torsion spring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Atsushi TANAKA, Ryo SANO
  • Publication number: 20240003439
    Abstract: A valve device may include: a shaft which has a shaft central axis; a stationary disk; a rotor; a housing which has a housing central axis and an opening; a housing cover which closes the opening; and a seal member. The seal member is eccentric with respect to the shaft central axis in conformity with the amount of eccentricity between the shaft central axis and the housing central axis. A valve device may include: a drive device; a shaft which has a shaft central axis; a stationary disk; a rotor; a housing which has a housing central axis and an opening; a drive device case which closes the opening and receives the drive device; and a seal member. The seal member is eccentric with respect to the shaft central axis in conformity with the amount of eccentricity between the shaft central axis and the housing central axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Naoki ASANO, Takuya HAMADA, Atsushi TANAKA, Ryo SANO
  • Publication number: 20230279958
    Abstract: A valve device includes a housing, a flow hole forming portion and a rotor. The housing has a passage for fluid. The flow hole forming portion is fixed at the passage and includes: a plurality of flow holes, each of which is configured to conduct the fluid; and at least one partition which is placed between corresponding adjacent two of the flow holes. The rotor includes a passage opening and a closing portion. The at least one partition of the flow hole forming portion has: a parallel portion which extends in parallel with a radial direction of an imaginary circle centered on a rotational axis; and a progressively varying portion which is placed on an outer side of the parallel portion in the radial direction. A width of the progressively varying portion measured in a circumferential direction is progressively increased toward the outer side in the radial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Takehito MIZUNUMA, Shota KIMURA, Ryo SANO, Hiroki SHIMADA
  • Publication number: 20230243432
    Abstract: A valve device includes a housing, a stationary valve and a drive valve. The stationary valve is placed in a fluid passage of the housing. The stationary valve forms a first passage, which conducts fluid, and a penetrating chamber which penetrates through the stationary valve in the axial direction. The drive valve is placed on one axial side of the stationary valve in the fluid passage and forms a second passage which conducts the fluid. The drive valve communicates the second passage to the first passage through rotation of the drive valve. The housing has a bottom portion that covers the penetrating chamber from another axial side. An upstream passage of the fluid passage, which is located on an upstream side of the drive valve and the stationary valve in a flow direction of the fluid, is communicated with the penetrating chamber through a communication passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: Naoki ASANO, Ryo SANO, Atsushi TANAKA, Takehito MIZUNUMA, Takuya HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20230228335
    Abstract: A valve device includes a housing, a stationary disk, a drive device, a shaft and a rotor. The stationary disk is fixed at an inside of the housing and has at least one flow passage hole. The shaft is rotated about a central axis by the drive device. The rotor increases or decreases an opening degree of the at least one flow passage hole. The rotor includes: a drive disk that slides relative to the stationary disk; and a lever that is fixed to the drive disk and couples between the drive disk and the shaft. A first torsion spring is placed between the housing and the shaft and urges the shaft relative to the housing in a circumferential direction around the central axis, and a second torsion spring is placed between the shaft and the lever and urges the lever relative to the shaft in the circumferential direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventor: Ryo SANO
  • Publication number: 20230228333
    Abstract: A valve device includes a housing, a stationary disk, a drive device, a shaft and a rotor. The stationary disk is fixed at an inside of the housing and has at least one flow passage hole. The shaft is rotated about a central axis by the drive device. The rotor increases or decreases an opening degree of the at least one flow passage hole. The rotor includes: a drive disk that slides relative to the stationary disk; and a lever that is fixed to the drive disk and couples between the drive disk and the shaft. A torsion spring is placed between the shaft and the lever and urges the lever relative to the shaft in a circumferential direction around the central axis of the shaft. The shaft has a plurality of contact portions configured to contact the lever and respectively located at a plurality of locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Takuya HAMADA, Ryo SANO, Atsushi TANAKA, Akira HIGUCHI
  • Patent number: 11608903
    Abstract: A valve device includes: a ball valve having a ball face shaped in a convex spherical surface; and a valve seat having a seat face shaped in a concave spherical surface. The seat face is pressed onto the ball face. The ball valve is rotated to open a valve by communicating a valve opening defined in the ball valve and a seat opening defined in the valve seat with each other, and to close the valve by stop the communication. A diameter of the seat opening ?2 is smaller than a diameter of the valve opening ?1. A curvature radius of the ball face R1 is smaller than or equal to a curvature radius of the seat face is R2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naohito Seko, Yoshiaki Yamamoto, Shinichi Yokoyama, Yuuji Nakano, Ryo Sano
  • Patent number: 11306645
    Abstract: A housing unit includes a cylindrical passage member, through which cooling water flows. A valve unit includes a valve main body rotatable around its axis and a valve opened portion formed in an outer peripheral surface of the valve main body, through which the cooling water can pass. A valve seat unit includes a positioned member and a valve seat surface. An outer peripheral surface of the positioned member is positioned in a radial direction by an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical passage member and the positioned member is movable in an axial direction in a reciprocal manner. The valve seat surface holds a fluid tight condition between the valve seat surface and the valve main body when it is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve main body. A biasing member biases the valve seat unit in such a way that the valve seat surface is pushed to the outer peripheral surface of the valve main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo Sano, Yosuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11149627
    Abstract: A cooling-water control valve device includes a valve member, a housing for accommodating the valve member, a pipe unit, a valve seat member, a spring and so on. The pipe unit has, at its axial end on a side facing to the valve member, an outside cylindrical portion and an inside cylindrical portion, which is coaxially arranged with the outside cylindrical portion at a radial-inside position of the outside cylindrical portion. An annular accommodation space is formed between the inside cylindrical portion and the outside cylindrical portion. The spring and the valve seat member are arranged in the annular accommodation space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ryo Sano
  • Publication number: 20210301930
    Abstract: A valve device includes: a ball valve having a ball face shaped in a convex spherical surface; and a valve seat having a seat face shaped in a concave spherical surface. The seat face is pressed onto the ball face. The ball valve is rotated to open a valve by communicating a valve opening defined in the ball valve and a seat opening defined in the valve seat with each other, and to close the valve by stop the communication. A diameter of the seat opening ?2 is smaller than a diameter of the valve opening ?1. A curvature radius of the ball face R1 is smaller than or equal to a curvature radius of the seat face is R2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Naohito SEKO, Yoshiaki YAMAMOTO, Shinichi YOKOYAMA, Yuuji NAKANO, Ryo SANO
  • Patent number: 11079028
    Abstract: A sleeve member of a movable unit has a first pressure receiving surface and a second pressure receiving surface. The first pressure receiving surface receives a first fluid pressure in an axial direction opposite to a biasing force of a spring, when a valve member closes a seat opening portion. The second pressure receiving surface receives a second fluid pressure in the same axial direction to a direction of the biasing force of the spring, when the valve member closes the seat opening portion. A first surface area and a second surface area are made to be equal to each other. Each of the first and the second surface areas is an area of a projected portion on a virtual plane perpendicular to the axial direction. Each of the projected portions is obtained when each of the first and the second pressure receiving surfaces is projected to the virtual plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Hashimoto, Naohito Seko, Ryo Sano
  • Patent number: 11067180
    Abstract: A valve device includes: a ball valve having a ball face shaped in a convex spherical surface; and a valve seat having a seat face shaped in a concave spherical surface. The seat face is pressed onto the ball face. The ball valve is rotated to open a valve by communicating a valve opening defined in the ball valve and a seat opening defined in the valve seat with each other, and to close the valve by stop the communication. A diameter of the seat opening ?2 is smaller than a diameter of the valve opening ?1. A curvature radius of the ball face R1 is smaller than or equal to a curvature radius of the seat face is R2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naohito Seko, Yoshiaki Yamamoto, Shinichi Yokoyama, Yuuji Nakano, Ryo Sano
  • Publication number: 20200362747
    Abstract: A housing unit includes a cylindrical passage member, through which cooling water flows. A valve unit includes a valve main body rotatable around its axis and a valve opened portion formed in an outer peripheral surface of the valve main body, through which the cooling water can pass. A valve seat unit includes a positioned member and a valve seat surface. An outer peripheral surface of the positioned member is positioned in a radial direction by an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical passage member and the positioned member is movable in an axial direction in a reciprocal manner. The valve seat surface holds a fluid tight condition between the valve seat surface and the valve main body when it is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valve main body. A biasing member biases the valve seat unit in such a way that the valve seat surface is pushed to the outer peripheral surface of the valve main body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Ryo SANO, Yosuke TANAKA
  • Patent number: 10808848
    Abstract: A valve device includes: a ball valve having a ball face shaped in a convex spherical surface; and a valve seat having a seat face shaped in a concave spherical surface. The seat face is pressed onto the ball face. The ball valve is rotated to open a valve by communicating a valve opening defined in the ball valve and a seat opening defined in the valve seat with each other, and to close the valve by stop the communication. A diameter of the seat opening ?2 is smaller than a diameter of the valve opening ?1. A curvature radius of the ball face R1 is smaller than or equal to a curvature radius of the seat face is R2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naohito Seko, Yoshiaki Yamamoto, Shinichi Yokoyama, Yuuji Nakano, Ryo Sano
  • Publication number: 20200284362
    Abstract: A sleeve member of a movable unit has a first pressure receiving surface and a second pressure receiving surface. The first pressure receiving surface receives a first fluid pressure in an axial direction opposite to a biasing force of a spring, when a valve member closes a seat opening portion. The second pressure receiving surface receives a second fluid pressure in the same axial direction to a direction of the biasing force of the spring, when the valve member closes the seat opening portion. A first surface area and a second surface area are made to be equal to each other. Each of the first and the second surface areas is an area of a projected portion on a virtual plane perpendicular to the axial direction. Each of the projected portions is obtained when each of the first and the second pressure receiving surfaces is projected to the virtual plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Koji HASHIMOTO, Naohito SEKO, Ryo SANO
  • Publication number: 20200256241
    Abstract: A cooling-water control valve device includes a valve member, a housing for accommodating the valve member, a pipe unit, a valve seat member, a spring and so on. The pipe unit has, at its axial end on a side facing to the valve member, an outside cylindrical portion and an inside cylindrical portion, which is coaxially arranged with the outside cylindrical portion at a radial-inside position of the outside cylindrical portion. An annular accommodation space is formed between the inside cylindrical portion and the outside cylindrical portion. The spring and the valve seat member are arranged in the annular accommodation space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventor: Ryo SANO