Patents by Inventor Soichi Kato

Soichi Kato 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: 6295832
    Abstract: A receiver tank (2) formed into an airtight container having an inlet port (24) and an outlet port (25) for a refrigerant, wherein separates the refrigerant introduced in a gas-liquid mixture state is separated, and the separated liquid refrigerant is stored therein and discharged therefrom so to continuously supply it, and the airtight container is formed as a double tube of an inner tube (16) and an outer tube (17), which have their tops mutually communicated but their bottoms not; the inlet port is formed to communicate with the bottom portion of a passage formed between the two tubes; and the outlet port is formed at lower end portions of the inner and outer tubes to communicate with the interior of the inner tube. The structure of no communication between the outer tube and the inner tube was achieved by having a structure of fitting either of them with the other or by disposing a joint member. A structure for prevention of the inner tube from tilting is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kato, Akihiko Takano
  • Patent number: 6119341
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing flat tubes by forming a flat tube body from a single plate material which is continuously drawn from a drum by either folding it into two or placing two plate materials one upon the other, and cutting the flat tube body in a predetermined length. The method is characterized by the steps of placing the plate material with its inner surface facing downwardly at any selected stage before completion of folding the plate into two, or before completion of placing two plates one upon the other; fluxing the inner surface of the plate material with a liquid flux material, and drying the applied flux material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kato, Takashi Sugita
  • Patent number: 6073688
    Abstract: A flat tube 2 for a heat exchanger which is formed by bending a single plate or overlaying two plates, wherein long beads 11 in a plurality of rows are previously formed on the plate in the longitudinal direction of the plate, the plate has its surface, to which the respective long beads are opposed, formed flat, the tops of the respective long beads 11 and the flat surface are joined, a plurality of passages 12 for a medium are formed within the tube by long beads and the flat surface, sections at the tube ends to be inserted into the header tanks 3, 4 are pressed back to be flat to form tube insertion sections, and a wall relief, which is formed to protrude in the breadth direction of the tube when the tube insertion sections are formed, is used as a stopper 16 to restrict a tube insertion level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 6053243
    Abstract: When forming a circular tube-shaped header pipe by rolling a plate material, surfaces extending at a right angle to the internal and external surfaces of the plate material are formed at the two side edges extending in the lengthwise direction, and the plate material is rolled in such a manner that the two side edges face opposite each other while setting the two side edges in a non-contact state. In this process, the gap between the two side edges is set at or less than 0.3 mm. In order to manufacture this header pipe, a plate material that has been cut to a specific length is trimmed in the direction of its short side to achieve a specific dimension and also at a right angle to the front and rear surfaces of the plate material. After a piping insertion hole is formed, the entirety of the plate material is rolled so that its cross section achieves a U-shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kato, Takashi Sugita, Hitoshi Makabe
  • Patent number: 5996633
    Abstract: Heat-exchanging conduit tubes for a laminated heat exchanger made of aluminum material containing aluminum alloy having a brazing material claded and formed by folding one plate or overlaying two plates and brazing to connect edge joints of the folded plate or the overlaid plates, wherein the folded plate or the overlaid plates have projections protruded from one or both faces of the opposed plates toward the other plate, the projections are joined in contact with a flat face of the other plate or the projections of the other plate, and the edge joints of the folded plate or the overlaid plates are joined, and the height of the edge joint of the each plate is smaller than those of the projections. Thus, the heat-exchanging conduit tubes can be securely brazed to provide flat tubes having a satisfactory pressure resistance, and a method for producing them can be attained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5979051
    Abstract: A heat exchanger that a tube member 2' has beads 21 protruded from the face of one plate toward the other plate, tube member 2' is held by block members 31, 31, a forming jig 40 is inserted between medium passages 24, 24 formed by the beads 21 to hold to press the beads 21 at an end 2a of the tube member 2' to mutually adhere the faces of the beads 21 on the outer face of the tube member 2', and recesses formed by the mutually contacted faces of the beads 21, 21 have a cross-sectional area of about 0.2 mm.sup.2 or below. And, a region where the recesses have a cross-sectional area of about 0.2 mm.sup.2 or below is within 10 mm outside header pipes 3, 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kato, Muneo Sakurada, Shin Kurihara, Sadao Haiya, Takashi Sugita, Shoji Akiyama, Takahumi Umehara
  • Patent number: 5950713
    Abstract: In a heat exchanger having a plurality of tubes 2 alternately laminated with fins 3, header pipes 4 connected to and in communication with both ends of the laminated tubes, inlet and outlet connectors 8 connected to the header pipes to supply and receive a heat exchanging medium to and from an external equipment, and the heat exchanging medium meanders a plurality of times between the inlet and outlet connectors; a groove 15 is formed in one of the inlet and outlet connectors 8, on the rim of the piping connecting face of the connector having its piping connecting face 11 facing downward with respect to the vertical line during brazing, so as to prevent the flux from entering into the inside of the piping connecting face from the outside of the piping connecting face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5908070
    Abstract: In order to achieve an improvement in productivity and a reduction in production costs, tubes are formed using brazing sheet while eliminating the problems normally associated with forming tubes from a brazing sheet. In each of the tube elements formed from a brazing sheet, at least one ridge projects out from a surface that is in contact with a fin toward the other surface that is in contact with a fin at the opposite side is formed, thereby achieving an improvement in the pressure withstand performance of the tube elements and in the heat exchanging rate. In addition, flat portions where no ridges are formed are provided at the two ends of each tube element to facilitate the work of mounting the tube elements. Moreover, the distance between the header pipes and the ridge end portions is set within a range of 2 mm to 10 mm, in order to ensure good balance between the pressure withstand performance and effective brazing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kato, Shoji Akiyama
  • Patent number: 5868198
    Abstract: The header pipes 3 and 4 of a heat exchanger 1, wherein each of the header pipes is provided with a plurality of tube insertion holes 9 in a longitudinal direction; the ends of tubes 2 are inserted into the tube insertion holes; the extended portions 3a and 4a respectively include longitudinally extended portions respectively extending from the portion provided with the tube insertion holes; further, the extended portions are provided with the reinforcing beads 13 respectively. The beads 13, each having a width equal to the opening width of each of the tube insertion holes 9, are pitched substantially equally as the tube insertion holes. Further, the header pipes 3 and 4 are formed by shaping a flat-sheet header pipe material H into pipes having a predetermined diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5865243
    Abstract: In a flat tube formed by machining a brazing sheet, ridges 12a-12c are formed at each of the opposing flat portions 11a and 11b of the flat tube 4 along the lengthwise direction of the flat tubes so that the ridges contact the inner surfaces of each of the opposite flat portions. The width of the grooves of the ridges 12a-12c formed at the surfaces of the flat portions is set so that it is at the smallest end portions of the flat tubes 4 to achieve flatness at the end portions of the flat tubes 4. The end portions of the fins 5 are bonded at these flattened portions 15 (areas A) formed at the end portions of the flat tubes 4. Header pipes and the flat tubes are thus brazed in a reliable manner while achieving reinforcement of the end portions of the flat tubes to be inserted into insertion holes formed in the header pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kato, Takashi Sugita
  • Patent number: 5782295
    Abstract: In a heat exchanger which comprises by alternately laminating a plurality of tubes 2, 2 and fins 3, 3, communicatively connecting a header tank 4 to both ends of the laminated tubes, forming slits 11 at required points in the header tanks, and providing partition plates 9 in the slits to flow a heat-exchanging medium; recesses 12 are formed on the inner faces of the header tanks and near the slits where the partition plates 9 are positioned, and the partition plates 9 are provided with projections 15 to correspond with the recesses 12. Walls 4a, which are crushed when the partition plate 9 is inserted, are formed between the recess 12 and the slit 11.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kato, Takashi Sugita
  • Patent number: 5768782
    Abstract: A flat tube for use in a parallel flow type heat exchanger is formed by bending a single plate. The plate of a predetermined width is wound in a roll form and the plate is continuously drawn out from the roll. The continuously drawn out plate is provided with a projected portion which is swollen in a direction opposite the bending direction of the plate, the projected portion is pre-formed by a pair of vertically arranged forming rolls before the plate is bent. Thereafter, the plate is gradually bent, with the projected portion being the center, with increased bending angles by bending rolls provided at a plurality of stages, and the ends of the plate are butted to each other. Then, the projected portion is crushed by a mold roll while the ends of the plate are in the butted state, and thus formed tube is cut into a predetermined length thereby the flat tube is manufactured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5727626
    Abstract: A header tank for a heat exchanger in the parallel flow type includes a plurality of tubes (2) and corrugated fins (3) stacked alternately, both ends of the stacked tubes are connected with the header tanks (4). Each header tank includes partition plates (12) therein. The header tank is formed by radially divided tow parts consisting of an end plate (7) and a tank plate (8). Pressing members (19) are provided on either the end plate or the tank plate for pressing one of the plate against the other plate for engagement therewith. The header tank is characterized in that end partition plates (13) are provided to the ends of the header tank, and the pressing members on one of the plates are located near the positions where the end partition plates are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5697433
    Abstract: The invention provides a flat tube for a heat-exchanger conduit capable of being properly brazed and provides a sufficient heat-resistance, and a method of manufacturing it. A tube-stacking type heat exchanger comprising a plate made of an aluminum material including an aluminum alloy and which is cladded with a brazing material, wherein either a single plate is folded into two or two plates are placed one upon the other, the surface of one or both plates including projecting portion projecting from the surface of one plate to the surface of the other plate, the projecting portion is brought into pressure contact with the flat surface of the other plate or the projecting portion of the other plate, and the height of the end edge connecting portions of the plate is dimensioned smaller than the height of the projecting portion, to achieve the joining of the end edge connecting portions of the plate together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5689881
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flat tube for a heat exchanger formed by folding one plate or overlaying two plates, in which long beads (16) are formed in multiple rows on the plate in its longitudinal direction, portions of the plate to which the respective long beads are opposed are formed flat, the tops of the long beads are joined with the flat portions (15) to form a plurality of channels (17) by the long beads and the flat portions, and a plurality of passages (18) which communicate adjacent channels are formed at appropriate parts on the long beads formed in the longitudinal direction of the plate. The invention also relates to a method for producing the above tube.Thus, the plates can have their faces securely engaged, and a heat exchanger having an improved heat-exchanging efficiency can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5685075
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for brazing flat tubes of a laminated heat exchanger comprising laminating a plurality of flat tubes (2) which have a brazing material claded with a fin (3) therebetween, inserting both ends or at least one end of each flat tube into tube insertion ports (5) of header tanks (4), and integrally brazing the ends of the flat tubes and the tube insertion ports, wherein the tube insertion ports have a width (A) larger than that (B) of the flat tubes, the laminated heat exchanger is transversely placed to vertically position the width direction of the flat tubes when integrally brazing after assembling, and a jig (19) is used to support so as to form a gap (20) at the lower parts of the flat tubes and the tube insertion ports before effecting brazing. Thus, the flat tubes can be firmly inserted when assembling, a brazing property between the tube insertion ports and the flat tubes can be improved, and beads can be mutually brazed with reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5558159
    Abstract: The invention relates to a header tank structure for a heat exchanger formed by rounding a clad material (a header tank material) into a circular tube form, and the header tank structure eliminates occurrence of swollen portions around the connecting portion of the ends of the header tank, and displacement of the connecting surfaces from each other is reduced, thereby to provide the header tank structure having an improved quality of brazing the connecting surfaces of the ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato
  • Patent number: 5518070
    Abstract: In a stacked tube type heat exchanger comprising a plurality of flat tubes and fins alternately stacked in parallel to one another, the flat tube is made of aluminum alloy consisting of 0.04-0.10 wt % of Si, 0.1-0.4 wt % of Fe, 0.2-0.5 wt % of Cu, less than 0.55 wt % of Mn, the remaining portion of Al, and unavoidable impurities, the flat tube is formed by extrusion molding, and the fin is made of aluminum alloy having at least its core material containing more than 1 wt % of Zn, and both surfaces of the fin are clad in a brazing material. Another heat exchanger comprising the flat tube made of the same materials as mentioned above, and formed by extrusion molding but with both surfaces of the tube being coated with the brazing material, and the fin is made of aluminum alloy containing more than 1 wt % of Zn, without having its surfaces coated with the brazing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Zexel Corporation
    Inventor: Soichi Kato