Patents by Inventor Shunji Saito

Shunji Saito 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: 11378320
    Abstract: To provide an ice maker capable of suppressing damage to a frame. In an ice maker, an ice making tray, and a driving unit structured to cause the ice making tray to perform a flip operation and a twist operation are supported by a frame. With the frame, in an inner wall of a first side plate unit, there are provided a first inner wall portion extending in a first direction along the driving unit, and a second inner wall portion extending in the first direction along the ice making tray on the other side in a second direction with respect to the first inner wall portion, and in a step unit connecting the first inner wall portion and the second inner wall portion, there is provided a cutout serving as a through unit for passing a wire connected to the driving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji Saito, Katsuhiko Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11378321
    Abstract: An ice making machine is provided and includes: an ice tray, having a water storage recessed part; a drive part for reversing the ice tray around an axial line passing the ice tray between a water storage position and an ice separation position; and a frame, supporting the ice tray and the drive part. The ice tray includes a water receiving part protruded to an outer side in a portion which is moved to a lower side when the ice tray starts to turn to a CCW direction directing from the water storage position to the ice separation position. The frame includes a projected portion located on an upper side with respect to the water receiving part. The projected portion includes a water passage port for passing the water at a position overlapping with the water receiving part when being viewed in a Z-direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio Ishimizu, Shunji Saito, Katsuhiko Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11359849
    Abstract: An ice making device includes an ice tray, an ice separating mechanism which is a mechanism structured to take out ice pieces from the ice tray, a drive part structured to drive the ice separating mechanism, and a frame which supports the ice tray and the drive part. The frame is provided with a water passage part which guides water supplied from an outside to the ice tray, and the frame is attached with a water supply adaptor which is a water passage member separately provided from the water passage part for supplying the water to the water passage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji Saito, Takaji Harata, Katsuhiko Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20220170681
    Abstract: Provided is an ice-making device that can autonomously perform a series of ice-making operations that include control of a fan motor, without relying on a higher-level device. An ice-making device that is characterized by comprising an ice-making tray, a fan motor that blows air onto the ice-making tray, an ice removal mechanism that removes ice from the ice-making tray, a control part, and a frame that holds the ice-making tray, the fan motor, the ice removal mechanism, and the control part. The ice-making device is also characterized in that the control part controls the operations of the fan motor, the ice removal mechanism, and a water supply mechanism that opens/closes a water supply path that supplies water to the ice-making tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Shunji SAITO, Satoshi TANIMURA
  • Patent number: 11209203
    Abstract: To provide an ice making device including an ice making tray, a drive unit configured to turn over the ice making tray, a frame including a frame body, the frame configured to support the ice making tray, and a fan motor configured to send wind to the ice making tray. The frame includes a block unit configured to contact a part of the ice making tray turning over to partially disturb the turning over of the ice making tray, and the fan motor is fixed only to a first frame part including one of a plurality of frame parts constituting sides surrounding a periphery of the ice making tray in a plan view of the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji Saito, Akihiro Ito, Takaji Harata
  • Patent number: 11137186
    Abstract: An ice making device is provided and includes: an ice tray, having water storage recessed parts; a drive unit, structured to make the ice tray perform a reversing operation and a twisting operation interlocked with the reversing operation; and a frame, holding the drive unit. The drive unit is attached to the frame by being relatively moved with respect to the frame in an attaching direction intersecting the axial direction. The frame includes: a first positioning part, positioning the drive unit in the attaching direction; and a second positioning part, positioning the drive unit in the axial direction. The second positioning part includes: a restriction part, restricting a movement to the other side in the axial direction of the drive unit; and an abutting part, abutting with the drive unit from one side in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shunji Saito
  • Patent number: 10935295
    Abstract: An ice making machine may include an ice tray, a drive unit which is provided at one end of the ice tray and is structured to turn the ice tray, a frame body which supports the ice tray and the drive unit, and a cold air duct which connects an opening formed in the frame body with the cold air supply port. The frame body is provided with a wall part which faces the drive unit at the other end of the ice tray and the opening is formed in the wall part. The cold air duct is provided with an inclined flow passage part inclined with respect to a direction where an ice making recessed part in the ice tray is opened, and the inclined flow passage part is provided with a cold air blowing outlet which faces the ice making recessed part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignees: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION, WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji Saito, Satoshi Tanimura, Katsuhiko Hayashi, David Vega
  • Patent number: 10935296
    Abstract: An ice making machine may include an ice tray, a drive unit that turns the ice tray, a frame body supporting the ice tray and the drive unit, a cold air guide part integrally formed with the frame body, and a cold air duct connecting an opening in the frame body with a cold air supply port. The frame body includes a wall part at an end of the ice tray, the wall part is formed with the opening and the cold air guide part, and the cold air guide part flows cold air through the opening toward the ice tray. The cold air guide part is a frame body side inclined wall and the cold air duct includes a duct side inclined wall facing the frame body side inclined wall and a cold air blowing outlet includes the frame body side inclined wall and the duct side inclined wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignees: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION, WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji Saito, Satoshi Tanimura, David Vega
  • Patent number: 10883751
    Abstract: An ice making machine may include an ice tray having a plurality of recessed parts and a cold air duct having a cold air inflow port connected with a cold air supply port and one cold air outlet port facing the ice tray on an upper side. A size of the cold air outlet port is smaller than a size of an ice making face of the ice tray having a contour which includes the plurality of the ice making recessed parts along edges of openings of the plurality of the ice making recessed parts, and the cold air outlet port faces a center portion of the ice making face. It is preferable that an opening area of the cold air outlet port is 50% or less of an area of the ice making face and/or is smaller than an opening area of the cold air inflow port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignees: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION, WHIRI POOI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji Saito, David Vega
  • Patent number: 10833565
    Abstract: A drive unit for an ice making device comprises a partition member formed with a penetration part, a circuit board disposed on one side with respect to the partition member, a drive mechanism disposed on the other side with respect to the partition member, and a terminal holder disposed on an inner side of the penetration part. The partition member comprises a first holder support part which supports a first side face of the terminal holder with elasticity, and a second holder support part which supports a second side face of the terminal holder. The terminal holder comprises a first engaging protruded part which is engaged with an end part of the first holder support part, and the first holder support part comprises a first guide groove which guides the first engaging protruded part when the terminal holder is inserted into the penetration part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shunji Saito
  • Patent number: 10819193
    Abstract: A drive unit for an ice making device includes a drive mechanism, a circuit board structured to perform at least one of power feeding to and control for the drive mechanism, and a case in which the drive mechanism and the circuit board are disposed on an inner side. The case comprises a first end plate part, a second end plate part which faces the first end plate part, and a partition member which sections a space between the first end plate part and the second end plate part. The circuit board is disposed in a circuit board arrangement chamber provided between the first end plate part and the partition member. The drive mechanism is disposed in a drive chamber provided between the second end plate part and the partition member, and a plurality of support posts is provided between the first end plate part and the partition member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shunji Saito
  • Patent number: 10788249
    Abstract: An ice making device includes an ice tray, a drive unit structured to make the ice tray perform a reversing operation and a twisting operation interlocked with the reversing operation, and a frame on which the drive unit is mounted. The frame comprises, in a mounting part for the drive unit, a fitted part to which a connecting part of the drive unit is fitted when the drive unit has been moved from one side in to the other side, and a first coming-off prevention part structured to prevent coming-off of the connecting part from the fitted part. The first coming-off prevention part comprises a first arm part which is extended from the one side to the other side, and a first restriction part which is protruded from a tip end side of the first arm part and is capable of abutting with the drive unit from the one side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shunji Saito
  • Publication number: 20200284492
    Abstract: To provide an ice making device including an ice making tray, a drive unit configured to turn over the ice making tray, a frame including a frame body, the frame configured to support the ice making tray, and a fan motor configured to send wind to the ice making tray. The frame includes a block unit configured to contact a part of the ice making tray turning over to partially disturb the turning over of the ice making tray, and the fan motor is fixed only to a first frame part including one of a plurality of frame parts constituting sides surrounding a periphery of the ice making tray in a plan view of the frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji SAITO, Akihiro ITO, Takaji HARATA
  • Patent number: 10753665
    Abstract: An ice making device is provided. In an ice making device, a convex part reflecting the shape of a recessed part for water storage is formed on a bottom surface of the ice making tray. A temperature sensor is in contact with a side wall of the convex part. The temperature sensor is covered with a flexible member. In addition, a cover member pressing the temperature sensor against the ice making tray is fixed to the bottom surface of the ice making tray through the flexible member. In the temperature sensor, a sealing coating layer is provided to cover a temperature detection chip, but an exterior case is not used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji Saito, Satoshi Tanimura
  • Publication number: 20200240695
    Abstract: An ice making device includes an ice tray, an ice separating mechanism which is a mechanism structured to take out ice pieces from the ice tray, a drive part structured to drive the ice separating mechanism, and a frame which supports the ice tray and the drive part. The frame is provided with a water passage part which guides water supplied from an outside to the ice tray, and the frame is attached with a water supply adaptor which is a water passage member separately provided from the water passage part for supplying the water to the water passage part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji SAITO, Takaji HARATA, Katsuhiko HAYASHI
  • Patent number: 10655902
    Abstract: To provide an ice making device in which a drive unit causes an ice making tray to perform a twist operation, and even if a penetration part through which a wiring that extends from the drive unit is drawn from the inside to the outside is provided in a side plate of a frame, it is possible to prevent damage to the side plate. An ice making device is provided. In the ice making device, an ice making tray and a drive unit are supported by a frame. In the frame, in a first side plate, a plurality of attachment parts for installing the frame to a refrigerator main body and a penetration part penetrating through the first side plate in the first direction are provided. The penetration part is provided in the first side plate on the other side relative to the attachment part furthest on one side in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shunji Saito
  • Publication number: 20200103156
    Abstract: To provide an ice maker capable of suppressing damage to a frame. In an ice maker, an ice making tray, and a driving unit structured to cause the ice making tray to perform a flip operation and a twist operation are supported by a frame. With the frame, in an inner wall of a first side plate unit, there are provided a first inner wall portion extending in a first direction along the driving unit, and a second inner wall portion extending in the first direction along the ice making tray on the other side in a second direction with respect to the first inner wall portion, and in a step unit connecting the first inner wall portion and the second inner wall portion, there is provided a cutout serving as a through unit for passing a wire connected to the driving unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji SAITO, Katsuhiko HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20200003470
    Abstract: An ice making machine is provided and includes: an ice tray, having a water storage recessed part; a drive part for reversing the ice tray around an axial line passing the ice tray between a water storage position and an ice separation position; and a frame, supporting the ice tray and the drive part. The ice tray includes a water receiving part protruded to an outer side in a portion which is moved to a lower side when the ice tray starts to turn to a CCW direction directing from the water storage position to the ice separation position. The frame includes a projected portion located on an upper side with respect to the water receiving part. The projected portion includes a water passage port for passing the water at a position overlapping with the water receiving part when being viewed in a Z-direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio Ishimizu, Shunji SAITO, Katsuhiko HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20190331382
    Abstract: An ice maker 1 includes an ice making tray 5, a driving unit 6 configured to flip the ice making tray 5 around a predetermined axis, a water supply mechanism 8, and a control unit 19 configured to control driving of the driving unit 6 and the water supply mechanism 8, and a setting switch 22 configured to set a water supply time of water to be supplied from the water supply mechanism 8 to the ice making tray 5. If the water supply time is set to a first water supply time, a second water supply time, or a third water supply time by the operation on the setting switch 22 (steps ST20, ST25, ST28), the ice maker 1 performs a setting confirmation operation to swing the ice making tray 5 the number of times corresponding to the set water supply time (steps ST21, ST26, ST29).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunji SAITO, Akihiro ITO, Satoshi TANIMURA
  • Publication number: 20190195546
    Abstract: An ice making device is provided and includes: an ice tray, having water storage recessed parts; a drive unit, structured to make the ice tray perform a reversing operation and a twisting operation interlocked with the reversing operation; and a frame, holding the drive unit. The drive unit is attached to the frame by being relatively moved with respect to the frame in an attaching direction intersecting the axial direction. The frame includes: a first positioning part, positioning the drive unit in the attaching direction; and a second positioning part, positioning the drive unit in the axial direction. The second positioning part includes: a restriction part, restricting a movement to the other side in the axial direction of the drive unit; and an abutting part, abutting with the drive unit from one side in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shunji SAITO