Patents by Inventor Tomohiko Ikeda

Tomohiko Ikeda 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: 6023854
    Abstract: The invention relates to a spin extractor for extracting liquid from wet laundry by rotating a drum with the laundry contained therein at high speed about a horizontal axis. In an inventive spin extractor, while an operation controller controls the speed of the drum so that the laundry is slightly pressed on the inner peripheral wall of the drum by centrifugal force and rotates with the drum, a position detector detects the position of an eccentric load due to the laundry as a first position. Then, the speed of the drum is raised to a second speed for weak extraction, which is lower than a predetermined maximum speed for extraction, and the position detector detects the position of the eccentric load as a second position. A quality determiner checks the displacement of the second position from the first position to determine the uniformity in extraction quality of the articles, where the extraction quality of an article represents how easily liquid is extracted therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2000
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Tsunomoto, Tomohiko Ikeda, Masafumi Nishino, Kiyonori Tamura
  • Patent number: 5765402
    Abstract: In a spin extractor, an eccentric load judging unit judges the magnitude of the eccentric load based on the amplitude of fluctuations in the motor current while a drum is rotated at a speed at which the centrifugal force on fabric articles contained in the drum is a little larger than the gravity. If the magnitude of the eccentric load detected is larger than predetermined, a balance correcting operation is conducted by a speed control unit. That is, a speed reducing position designating unit sends a pulse signal to the speed control unit at the moment when the eccentric load of the drum comes just before the highest position, in response to which the speed of the drum is reduced momentarily. When the speed is reduced, the centrifugal force is smaller than the gravity, so that the fabric articles crammed and piled fall off the inner peripheral wall of the drum. Thus the fabric articles can be scattered almost evenly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Ikeda, Yoshitaka Tsunomoto, Masafumi Nishino, Kouichi Hatsuda
  • Patent number: 5692313
    Abstract: In a spin extractor according to the present invention, a basket drum for containing fabric articles is provided with a balance weight in a portion of its inner peripheral wall, giving the drum its own eccentric load. The magnitude and position of the resultant eccentric load constituted by both the drum's own eccentric load and the fabric articles unevenly distributed therein is detected based on the fluctuations in the motor current. If the magnitude of the eccentric load is out of a predetermined range or if the position of the eccentric load is not in the proximity to the position opposite at an angle of 180.degree. to the balance weight, the drum is rotated at such a speed that the centrifugal force acting on the fabric articles in the drum is smaller than the gravity force. Thus, the fabric articles are loosened, scattered and redistributed, and the magnitude and position of the eccentric load satisfy the required condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Ikeda, Yoshitaka Tsunomoto, Masafumi Nishino
  • Patent number: 5367787
    Abstract: A drying machine has a drying chamber for drying an article cleaned with an inflammable solvent as a detergent. A hot air supply channel communicates with the drying chamber and a heater is mounted in the hot air supply channel. A hot air evacuation channel communicates with the drying chamber and a hot air transfer device is mounted at a voluntary portion of the hot air supply channel and the hot air evacuation channel. A control device is provided for driving control of the heater. A first temperature sensor is mounted on the downstream side of the heater in the hot air supply channel and a second temperature sensor is mounted at a position shifted to the drying chamber in the hot air evacuation channel. The control device controls the heater so that the difference in the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor and the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor is kept within a safe temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Ikeda, Toshiaki Sakamoto