Patents by Inventor Shingo FUKUOKA

Shingo FUKUOKA 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: 11506160
    Abstract: A fuel supply device includes: a sub-tank to be fixed on a bottom of a fuel tank, the sub-tank temporarily storing fuel in the fuel tank, an upper side of the sub-tank having an opening; a bracket attached to an opening side of the sub-tank; an electric pump that pumps up the fuel in the sub-tank and supplies the fuel to outside of the sub-tank; and multiple fitting portions arranged on an outer edge of the bracket and to fix the bracket to the sub-tank by being fitted to a plurality of receiving portions arranged on the opening of the sub-tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shingo Fukuoka, Kenji Okabe
  • Publication number: 20210146773
    Abstract: A fuel supply device includes: a sub-tank to be fixed on a bottom of a fuel tank, the sub-tank temporarily storing fuel in the fuel tank, an upper side of the sub-tank having an opening; a bracket attached to an opening side of the sub-tank; an electric pump that pumps up the fuel in the sub-tank and supplies the fuel to outside of the sub-tank; and multiple fitting portions arranged on an outer edge of the bracket and to fix the bracket to the sub-tank by being fitted to a plurality of receiving portions arranged on the opening of the sub-tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Shingo FUKUOKA, Kenji OKABE
  • Patent number: 10794342
    Abstract: A pump unit includes an insertion guide member that extends in a longitudinal direction of the pump unit and is used to guide the pump unit at a time of inserting the pump unit into an opening portion of a fuel tank. The insertion guide member includes a stopper portion and a guide portion that are arranged along an edge part of the insertion guide member. When the pump unit is projected in the longitudinal direction onto a plane of projection, the stopper portion protrudes outward from an imaginary circle, which has a fitting portion's diameter, on the plane of projection. The guide portion guides the pump unit in a rotational direction relative to a stay. A cross section of the pump unit taken along a guide portion orthogonal plane is set to be within the imaginary circle, which has the fitting portion's diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Maruyama, Shingo Fukuoka, Rui Adachi, Tetsuro Okazono, Norihiro Hayashi, Atsushi Kamiyama, Junichi Takatsuji
  • Patent number: 10780775
    Abstract: A primary metal terminal connects between a fuel pump and a drive circuit through a resin lid. A primary connecting point of the primary metal terminal connected to the drive circuit, is positioned around a drive control IC, and a primary exposed portion of the primary metal terminal, exposed to a receiving space of the resin lid is bent such that the primary exposed portion is resiliently deformable. A secondary metal terminal connects between an external circuit system and the drive circuit through the resin lid. A secondary connecting point of the secondary metal terminal connected to the drive circuit is positioned at a location that is further spaced from the drive control IC in comparison to the primary connecting point, and a secondary exposed portion of the secondary metal terminal exposed to the receiving space has a stiffness higher than a stiffness of the primary exposed portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, DENSO KOREA AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shingo Fukuoka, Yutaka Niwa, Sanghoon Lee, Hyoyeol Kim
  • Patent number: 10669976
    Abstract: A fuel supply device includes: a cover attached to an upper wall of a fuel tank; a pump unit disposed on a bottom wall of the fuel tank; and a connecting strut that connects the cover and the pump unit with each other. The pump unit includes: a unit body supported by the connecting strut in a radial direction and a thrust direction, and a fuel pump arranged on the unit body to pump fuel drawn from the fuel tank toward an internal-combustion engine. The fuel pump is located offset toward the connecting strut from a width center of a width from a thrust support part where the unit body is supported by the connecting strut to an end part of the unit body opposite from the connecting strut in a specific transverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shingo Fukuoka, Norihiro Hayashi, Tetsuro Okazono
  • Patent number: 10648436
    Abstract: A fuel supply device configured to supply fuel from an inside of a fuel tank to an internal combustion engine includes: a cover body that is installed to an upper wall of the fuel tank; a pump unit that is placed on a bottom wall of the fuel tank and is configured to discharge the fuel from the inside of the fuel tank toward the internal combustion engine; and a coupling stay that couples between the cover body and the pump unit. The coupling stay includes: an upper stay that extends on a lower side of the cover body; and a lower stay that is installed to the pump unit and is slidably fitted to the upper stay in a top-to-bottom direction. A stress concentrating portion, which reduces a section modulus to concentrate a stress around the stress concentrating portion, is formed at a specific location of the lower stay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Rui Adachi, Tadashi Hazama, Norihiro Hayashi, Takashi Akiba, Shingo Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 10578063
    Abstract: A valve element includes: a loosely insertable wall portion that is loosely inserted in an inside of a connecting portion on a downstream side of a valve seat; a fittable tubular portion that is fitted to the inside of the connecting portion on a downstream side of the loosely insertable wall portion; and a projecting annular portion-that projects from the fittable tubular portion toward a radially inner side of the fittable tubular portion. An outlet portion projects into the fittable tubular portion. A valve spring is located on a radially outer side of the outlet portion and on the radially inner side of the fittable tubular portion to urge the valve element toward the valve seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, KYOSAN DENKI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shingo Fukuoka, Hideto Takahashi, Hiromi Sakai, Minoru Edura
  • Patent number: 10544764
    Abstract: A fuel pump has a pump function of sucking fuel in a fuel tank and discharging fuel, and a detection function of detecting a capacitance correlated to a concentration of alcohol in fuel in the fuel tank. The fuel pump includes a pump main body that is received in the fuel tank to perform the pump function, a housing electrode that covers the pump main body in the fuel tank, and an outside electrode that is located outside of the housing electrode in the fuel tank. A gap is formed between the outside electrode and the housing electrode to give the capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shingo Fukuoka, Kiyoshi Nagata, Hiromi Sakai, Yuuji Hidaka
  • Patent number: 10443552
    Abstract: A fuel supply device includes a pump unit that sucks stored fuel in a fuel tank from a suction port and discharges the fuel to an outside of the fuel tank. A pressure regulating valve performs pressure regulation of fuel discharged from the pump unit. The pressure regulating valve includes a return port having an opening facing in a separating direction away from the suction port, and returns surplus fuel generated by the pressure regulation from the return port into the fuel tank. A suction filter encloses an internal space where the suction port is open, and filters the stored fuel entering the internal space. The suction filter includes an expansion part to which the internal space is extended, and the expansion part is on a side of the return port that faces in the separating direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, KYOSAN DENKI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shingo Fukuoka, Kiyoshi Nagata, Norihiro Hayashi, Katsuhisa Yamada
  • Publication number: 20190178211
    Abstract: A pump unit includes an insertion guide member that extends in a longitudinal direction of the pump unit and is used to guide the pump unit at a time of inserting the pump unit into an opening portion of a fuel tank. The insertion guide member includes a stopper portion and a guide portion that are arranged along an edge part of the insertion guide member. When the pump unit is projected in the longitudinal direction onto a plane of projection, the stopper portion protrudes outward from an imaginary circle, which has a fitting portion's diameter, on the plane of projection. The guide portion guides the pump unit in a rotational direction relative to a stay. A cross section of the pump unit taken along a guide portion orthogonal plane is set to be within the imaginary circle, which has the fitting portion's diameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Koji MARUYAMA, Shingo FUKUOKA, Rui ADACHI, Tetsuro OKAZONO, Norihiro HAYASHI, Atsushi KAMIYAMA, Junichi TAKATSUJI
  • Publication number: 20190032614
    Abstract: A fuel supply device includes: a cover attached to an upper wall of a fuel tank; a pump unit disposed on a bottom wall of the fuel tank; and a connecting strut that connects the cover and the pump unit with each other. The pump unit includes: a unit body supported by the connecting strut in a radial direction and a thrust direction, and a fuel pump arranged on the unit body to pump fuel drawn from the fuel tank toward an internal-combustion engine. The fuel pump is located offset toward the connecting strut from a width center of a width from a thrust support part where the unit body is supported by the connecting strut to an end part of the unit body opposite from the connecting strut in a specific transverse direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Shingo FUKUOKA, Norihiro HAYASHI, Tetsuro OKAZONO
  • Publication number: 20190017474
    Abstract: A fuel supply device configured to supply fuel from an inside of a fuel tank to an internal combustion engine includes: a cover body that is installed to an upper wall of the fuel tank; a pump unit that is placed on a bottom wall of the fuel tank and is configured to discharge the fuel from the inside of the fuel tank toward the internal combustion engine; and a coupling stay that couples between the cover body and the pump unit. The coupling stay includes: an upper stay that extends on a lower side of the cover body; and a lower stay that is installed to the pump unit and is slidably fitted to the upper stay in a top-to-bottom direction. A stress concentrating portion, which reduces a section modulus to concentrate a stress around the stress concentrating portion, is formed at a specific location of the lower stay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventors: Rui ADACHI, Tadashi HAZAMA, Norihiro HAYASHI, Takashi AKIBA, Shingo FUKUOKA
  • Publication number: 20190017475
    Abstract: A fuel pump has a pump function of sucking fuel in a fuel tank and discharging fuel, and a detection function of detecting a capacitance correlated to a concentration of alcohol in fuel in the fuel tank. The fuel pump includes a pump main body that is received in the fuel tank to perform the pump function, a housing electrode that covers the pump main body in the fuel tank, and an outside electrode that is located outside of the housing electrode in the fuel tank. A gap is formed between the outside electrode and the housing electrode to give the capacitance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventors: Shingo FUKUOKA, Kiyoshi NAGATA, Hiromi SAKAI, Yuuji HIDAKA
  • Publication number: 20190009671
    Abstract: A primary metal terminal connects between a fuel pump and a drive circuit through a resin lid. A primary connecting point of the primary metal terminal connected to the drive circuit, is positioned around a drive control IC, and a primary exposed portion of the primary metal terminal, exposed to a receiving space of the resin lid is bent such that the primary exposed portion is resiliently deformable. A secondary metal terminal connects between an external circuit system and the drive circuit through the resin lid. A secondary connecting point of the secondary metal terminal connected to the drive circuit is positioned at a location that is further spaced from the drive control IC in comparison to the primary connecting point, and a secondary exposed portion of the secondary metal terminal exposed to the receiving space has a stiffness higher than a stiffness of the primary exposed portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Shingo FUKUOKA, Yutaka NIWA, Sanghoon LEE, Hyoyeol KIM
  • Patent number: 10137772
    Abstract: A total dimension of spacing dimensions of a gap provided by a metal rod on a side opposite to a metal housing in a first assembling structure and a second assembling structure is set to be larger than a difference in a thermal expansion amount between a resin lid main body and the metal housing in a reference radial direction when a temperature exceeds a reference temperature. A total dimension of each of a spacing dimension of a gap provided by the metal rod on a side toward the metal housing and a spacing dimension between a resin protrusion and the metal housing in the first assembling structure and the second assembling structure is set to be larger than a difference in a thermal shrinkage amount between the resin lid main body and the metal housing in the reference radial direction when a temperature falls below the reference temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, DENSO KOREA AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yutaka Niwa, Shingo Fukuoka, Sanghoon Lee, Hyoyeol Kim
  • Publication number: 20180328323
    Abstract: A fuel supply device includes a pump unit that sucks stored fuel in a fuel tank from a suction port and discharges the fuel to an outside of the fuel tank. A pressure regulating valve performs pressure regulation of fuel discharged from the pump unit. The pressure regulating valve includes a return port having an opening facing in a separating direction away from the suction port, and returns surplus fuel generated by the pressure regulation from the return port into the fuel tank. A suction filter encloses an internal space where the suction port is open, and filters the stored fuel entering the internal space. The suction filter includes an expansion part to which the internal space is extended, and the expansion part is on a side of the return port that faces in the separating direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Shingo FUKUOKA, Kiyoshi NAGATA, Norihiro HAYASHI, Katsuhisa YAMADA
  • Patent number: 10072621
    Abstract: A circuit housing portion integrally molded above a lid main body portion has a bottom portion, which forms a vent space with the lid main body portion, and a vent hole, which extends through a portion between a protection space and an external space in the side portion. In a terminal, in which an intermediate portion is embedded in a bottom portion to extend between a fuel pump and a drive circuit through the bottom portion, an interface between the bottom portion and the intermediate portion is exposed to a protection space above the vent hole. A liquid-impermeable and gas-permeable membrane is mounted on an outer surface of the side portion to cover the vent hole to allow the fuel vapor to be discharged from the vent hole to the external space and to restrict liquid from entering the vent hole from the external space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, DENSO KOREA AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shingo Fukuoka, Kiyoshi Nagata, Sanghoon Lee
  • Publication number: 20170355261
    Abstract: A total dimension of spacing dimensions of a gap provided by a metal rod on a side opposite to a metal housing in a first assembling structure and a second assembling structure is set to be larger than a difference in a thermal expansion amount between a resin lid main body and the metal housing in a reference radial direction when a temperature exceeds a reference temperature. A total dimension of each of a spacing dimension of a gap provided by the metal rod on a side toward the metal housing and a spacing dimension between a resin protrusion and the metal housing in the first assembling structure and the second assembling structure is set to be larger than a difference in a thermal shrinkage amount between the resin lid main body and the metal housing in the reference radial direction when a temperature falls below the reference temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: Yutaka NIWA, Shingo FUKUOKA, Sanghoon LEE, Hyoyeol KIM
  • Publication number: 20170292481
    Abstract: A valve element includes: a loosely insertable wall portion that is loosely inserted in an inside of a connecting portion on a downstream side of a valve seat; a fittable tubular portion that is fitted to the inside of the connecting portion on a downstream side of the loosely insertable wall portion; and a projecting annular portion-that projects from the fittable tubular portion toward a radially inner side of the fittable tubular portion. An outlet portion projects into the fittable tubular portion. A valve spring is located on a radially outer side of the outlet portion and on the radially inner side of the fittable tubular portion to urge the valve element toward the valve seat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Inventors: Shingo FUKUOKA, Hideto TAKAHASHI, Hiromi SAKAI, Minoru EDURA
  • Publication number: 20170211530
    Abstract: A circuit housing portion integrally molded above a lid main body portion has a bottom portion, which forms a vent space with the lid main body portion, and a vent hole, which extends through a portion between a protection space and an external space in the side portion. In a terminal, in which an intermediate portion is embedded in a bottom portion to extend between a fuel pump and a drive circuit through the bottom portion, an interface between the bottom portion and the intermediate portion is exposed to a protection space above the vent hole. A liquid-impermeable and gas-permeable membrane is mounted on an outer surface of the side portion to cover the vent hole to allow the fuel vapor to be discharged from the vent hole to the external space and to restrict liquid from entering the vent hole from the external space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Inventors: Shingo FUKUOKA, Kiyoshi NAGATA, Sanghoon LEE