Patents by Inventor Takao Ban

Takao Ban 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: 10443528
    Abstract: An air flow rate adjusting apparatus adjusts an output of an air flow meter based on a dimension of a gap between a back surface of a sensor chip and a bottom surface of a recess of a support plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidehito Tsujii, Takao Ban
  • Patent number: 10429223
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an air flow rate measuring device disposed in an intake air passage. The air flow rate measuring device measures a flow rate of the intake air flowing through the intake air passage. The air flow rate measuring device includes a casing, a flow rate sensor, and a sensor module. The casing defines a bypass passage to take in a portion of the intake air. The flow rate sensor is disposed in the bypass passage. The flow rate sensor generates an output signal according to a flow rate of the intake air. The sensor module protrudes from an outer wall of the casing. The sensor module includes a multi-sensor unit that has a relative humidity sensor and a temperature sensor. The relative humidity sensor is exposed to an inside of the intake air passage to detect a relative humidity of the intake air flowing through the intake air passage. The temperature sensor detects a temperature of the intake air flowing through the intake air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takao Ban, Junzo Yamaguchi, Keisuke Itakura
  • Patent number: 9784196
    Abstract: A controller calculates a specific humidity of an intake air based on a relative humidity of the intake air, an intake air temperature, and an intake air pressure. Then the controller calculates a water vapor amount in the intake air based on the specific humidity and a mass flow rate of the intake air obtained from an air intake rate. By calculating the water vapor amount in the intake air based on information that directly represents the status of the intake air, this water vapor amount may be calculated more accurately. As a result, a generation amount of condensed water may be estimated more accurately. Therefore, accumulation of condensed water may be suppressed while recirculating as much of a low pressure exhaust gas as possible, and thus fuel economy may be sufficiently improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takao Ban
  • Publication number: 20170254285
    Abstract: An air flow rate adjusting apparatus adjusts an output of an air flow meter based on a dimension of a gap between a back surface of a sensor chip and a bottom surface of a recess of a support plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: Hidehito TSUJII, Takao BAN
  • Patent number: 9695769
    Abstract: An air flow rate adjusting apparatus adjusts an output of an air flow meter based on a dimension of a gap between a back surface of a sensor chip and a bottom surface of a recess of a support plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidehito Tsujii, Takao Ban
  • Publication number: 20170059381
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an air flow rate measuring device disposed in an intake air passage. The air flow rate measuring device measures a flow rate of the intake air flowing through the intake air passage. The air flow rate measuring device includes a casing, a flow rate sensor, and a sensor module. The casing defines a bypass passage to take in a portion of the intake air. The flow rate sensor is disposed in the bypass passage. The flow rate sensor generates an output signal according to a flow rate of the intake air. The sensor module protrudes from an outer wall of the casing. The sensor module includes a multi-sensor unit that has a relative humidity sensor and a temperature sensor. The relative humidity sensor is exposed to an inside of the intake air passage to detect a relative humidity of the intake air flowing through the intake air passage. The temperature sensor detects a temperature of the intake air flowing through the intake air passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takao BAN, Junzo YAMAGUCHI, Keisuke ITAKURA
  • Patent number: 9383240
    Abstract: A thermal-type air flow measuring device includes a heat generation heater and a sensor circuit. The heat generation heater is configured to heat a part of intake air drawn into an engine by heat generation upon energization of the heat generation heater. The sensor circuit is configured to at least control the energization of the heat generation heater and to make temperature of the heat generation heater higher than temperature of the heat generation heater at time of the measurement of the flow rate of air when an external signal is inputted into the sensor circuit from outside of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasushi Kohno, Takao Ban
  • Publication number: 20160123255
    Abstract: A controller calculates a specific humidity of an intake air based on a relative humidity of the intake air, an intake air temperature, and an intake air pressure. Then the controller calculates a water vapor amount in the intake air based on the specific humidity and a mass flow rate of the intake air obtained from an air intake rate. By calculating the water vapor amount in the intake air based on information that directly represents the status of the intake air, this water vapor amount may be calculated more accurately. As a result, a generation amount of condensed water may be estimated more accurately. Therefore, accumulation of condensed water may be suppressed while recirculating as much of a low pressure exhaust gas as possible, and thus fuel economy may be sufficiently improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventor: Takao BAN
  • Patent number: 9027413
    Abstract: A circuit board has a hollow space partitioned with a detection film on the front side exposed in a passage. The circuit board is accommodated in a recess of a support member and opposed to a bottom surface of the recess on the rear side. The bottom surface of the recess has a groove on one side in both the X-axis and Y-axis directions relative to the detection film. The groove inclines airflow in the groove relative to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions to guide the airflow toward the rear side of the detection film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Junzo Yamaguchi, Takao Ban
  • Publication number: 20140366607
    Abstract: An air flow rate adjusting apparatus adjusts an output of an air flow meter based on a dimension of a gap between a back surface of a sensor chip and a bottom surface of a recess of a support plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventors: Hidehito TSUJII, Takao Ban
  • Patent number: 8909486
    Abstract: A flow measuring device includes a flow rate detecting part, an analog/digital conversion part, and a signal processing part. The flow rate detecting part detects a flow rate of air flowing through the passage, and outputs a flow voltage signal, which is a voltage in accordance with the flow rate. The analog/digital conversion part converts the flow voltage signal from the flow rate detecting part into digital data, which is flow digital data. The signal processing part performs calculation processing upon the flow digital data, which includes averaging of a predetermined number of consecutive pieces of the flow digital data, and outputs the averaged flow digital data as a flow rate signal. The predetermined number is equal to or larger than two.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yasushi Kohno, Takao Ban, Akitoshi Mizutani
  • Patent number: 8874387
    Abstract: An air flow measurement device measures a flow amount of air. A flow sensor is configured to output a voltage value corresponding to a given flow amount of the air. A temperature sensor is configured to output temperature of the air. A correction coefficient memory portion is configured to store a correction coefficient for correcting the voltage value of the flow sensor to a corrected voltage value associated with the given flow amount based on a predetermined standard temperature. A relationship between the voltage value of the flow sensor and the flow amount of the air changes based on temperature of the air. A correction portion is configured to correct the output voltage value of the flow sensor to the corrected voltage value using the correction coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Akitoshi Mizutani, Takao Ban
  • Patent number: 8844342
    Abstract: An air flow measuring device includes a housing, a sensor, and a throttle that is provided on an outer wall surface of the housing. The throttle merges together a bypass-passing flow and an outside-passing flow, and guides the merged flow toward the downstream side with the merged flow narrowed. The throttle includes two raised portions and a cover that bridges between the two raised portions and is opposed to the outer wall surface of the housing. The cover includes an inner surface exposed to the throttle, and an outer surface exposed to outside of the throttle. A peripheral border of the cover includes an upstream edge which defines the outer surface on the upstream side. At least a region of the outer surface including the upstream edge is swollen more outwardly in a shape of a projecting curved surface further on the downstream side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Noboru Kitahara, Takashi Ooga, Takao Ban
  • Patent number: 8752424
    Abstract: A bypass passage receives a part of air flowing through a duct. A sub-bypass passage is branched from an intermediate portion of the bypass passage to separate dust contained in air flowing through the duct. A flow rate sensor is located in the sub-bypass passage for detecting the flow rate of air. A first wall surface and a second wall surface of the bypass passage are located upstream from the branch. The first wall surface is located on the side of the branch. The second wall surface is opposed to the first wall surface. Both the first wall surface and the second wall surface are curved to direct airflow to move away from the branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takao Ban, Noboru Kitahara
  • Patent number: 8695409
    Abstract: An air flow rate measuring apparatus includes a heater and a control circuit. The heater heats a part of an intake air sucked into an engine. The control circuit controls an energization of the heater. The heater has a measuring-mode temperature when a flow rate of the intake air is measured. The control circuit has a heat cleaner which temporarily raises a temperature of the heater higher than the measuring-mode temperature when an energization of the air flow rate measuring apparatus is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yasushi Kohno, Takao Ban, Hidehito Tsujii
  • Patent number: 8527243
    Abstract: An air flow measurement apparatus includes an air flow sensor for outputting an air flow signal indicative of detected air flow, a reference voltage generator for outputting reference voltage signals, a multiplexer for sequentially selecting the signals in a predetermined order, an A/D converter for converting the signals into digital data in an order selected by the multiplexer, and a signal processing unit for applying correction processing to air flow voltage data corresponding to the air flow signal using reference voltage data corresponding to the reference voltage signals. The signal processing unit has a sampling timing setting section for determining sampling timings at which the A/D converter samples the signals in such a manner that the sampling timing at which the air flow signal is sampled is interposed between the sampling timings at which successive two of the reference voltage signals are sampled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Akitoshi Mizutani, Takao Ban
  • Publication number: 20130105137
    Abstract: A thermal-type air flow measuring device includes a heat generation heater and a sensor circuit. The heat generation heater is configured to heat a part of intake air drawn into an engine by heat generation upon energization of the heat generation heater. The sensor circuit is configured to at least control the energization of the heat generation heater and to make temperature of the heat generation heater higher than temperature of the heat generation heater at time of the measurement of the flow rate of air when an external signal is inputted into the sensor circuit from outside of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasushi KOHNO, Takao BAN
  • Publication number: 20130055801
    Abstract: An air flow rate measuring apparatus includes a heater and a control circuit. The heater heats a part of an intake air sucked into an engine. The control circuit controls an energization of the heater. The heater has a measuring-mode temperature when a flow rate of the intake air is measured. The control circuit has a heat cleaner which temporarily raises a temperature of the heater higher than the measuring-mode temperature when an energization of the air flow rate measuring apparatus is started.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasushi KOHNO, Takao BAN, Hidehito TSUJII
  • Publication number: 20130055800
    Abstract: An air flow measuring device includes a housing, a sensor, and a throttle that is provided on an outer wall surface of the housing. The throttle merges together a bypass-passing flow and an outside-passing flow, and guides the merged flow toward the downstream side with the merged flow narrowed. The throttle includes two raised portions and a cover that bridges between the two raised portions and is opposed to the outer wall surface of the housing. The cover includes an inner surface exposed to the throttle, and an outer surface exposed to outside of the throttle. A peripheral border of the cover includes an upstream edge which defines the outer surface on the upstream side. At least a region of the outer surface including the upstream edge is swollen more outwardly in a shape of a projecting curved surface further on the downstream side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noboru KITAHARA, Takashi OOGA, Takao BAN
  • Publication number: 20130047742
    Abstract: A circuit board has a hollow space partitioned with a detection film on the front side exposed in a passage. The circuit board is accommodated in a recess of a support member and opposed to a bottom surface of the recess on the rear side. The bottom surface of the recess has a groove on one side in both the X-axis and Y-axis directions relative to the detection film. The groove inclines airflow in the groove relative to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions to guide the airflow toward the rear side of the detection film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junzo Yamaguchi, Takao Ban