Patents by Inventor Toshio Furuhashi

Toshio Furuhashi 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: 6601578
    Abstract: A liquid heating apparatus includes: a liquid bath; a combustion chamber provided with a burner, and formed at one side on a lower portion of the liquid bath; and an exhaust pipe located horizontally in the liquid bath and extending from one side of the liquid bath toward the other side thereof. The apparatus heats the liquid bath by passing combustion gas generated in the combustion chamber into the exhaust pipe, with the exhaust pipe being formed into a cylinder shape having vertical side walls. A fin is integrally located on an inner surface of the side wall of the exhaust pipe along the longitudinal direction thereof. The fin has a predetermined heating surface chosen in accordance with a predetermined temperature gradient in a longitudinal direction of the exhaust pipe, and is located on only upper portion side on an inner surface of the exhaust pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Eiken Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 6374821
    Abstract: A liquid heating apparatus is provided in which fins are directly secured and fixed at the bottom portion of a liquid tank to ensure sufficient heat efficiency with production cost reduced by simplification of the construction thereof and with maintenance being easily carried out. In the liquid heating apparatus which raises the temperature of liquid in a liquid tank by heating the bottom of said liquid tank with a burner disposed downward of the bottom of said liquid tank, an inclination plane which is inclined at a predetermined degree of angle and is formed on the bottom of said liquid tank, and long fins are fixed on the rear side of said inclination plane along the inclination direction thereof. The fins are provided with thermal expansion absorbing capabilities along the lengthwise direction thereof. The fins can be formed with channel-like cross sections, and the bottom wall portions thereof are fixed close to the rear side of the inclination plane of the liquid tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Eiken Industries Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 6192880
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid heating apparatus which can obtain a sufficient heat efficiency by making large a heating surface area by a combustion gas flowing through an exhaust pipe located in a liquid bath. In a liquid heating apparatus which includes: a liquid bath; a combustion chamber which is provided with a burner, and is formed at one side on a lower portion of the liquid bath; and an exhaust pipe which is located in a substantially horizontal state at an intermediate portion of the liquid bath, and extends from one side of the liquid bath toward the other side thereof, and which heats a liquid in the liquid bath bypassing a combustion gas generated in the combustion chamber into the exhaust pipe, a fin is integrally located on an inner surface of the exhaust pipe along a longitudinal direction thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Eiken Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 6044839
    Abstract: A novel liquid heating apparatus is provided by which sufficient heat efficiency is achieved with the production cost reduced by simplification of the construction thereof, and the maintenance of which is easily carried out. The liquid heating apparatus is provided with a burner unit disposed downward of the bottom portion of a liquid tank formed to be a rectangular parallelpiped in its plan view for raising the temperature of the liquid in the liquid tank by heating the bottom portion of the liquid tank using a burner of the burner unit. A heating plane opposite flame ports of the burner and a low temperature portion located downward of the heating plane are formed at the bottom portion of the liquid tank. Fins protruding toward the burner direction are juxtaposed and fixed on the rear side of the heating plane in the lengthwise direction thereof. A fan capable of generating a flow of combustion gas among the fins is provided in the burner unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Eiken Industries Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 5157610
    Abstract: A system and method for load sharing processing operations between a vehicle mounted station (105) and a stationary base station (25) having a large capacity host computer is described. The vehicle mounted station has detectors for determining operating conditions of a vehicle and controllers (3, 4, 501) for varying the operating conditions. The controllers are connected to a transmitter-receiver (5) which is arranged to communicate over a path (10) with a transmitter-receiver (11) of the base station. The base station has a host computer (18) having a large memory capacity. At predetermined intervals, for example, distance of travel or at engine stop, the vehicle transmitter (5) transmits operating conditions to the base receiver (11) for data processing and the base transmitter (11) then transmits processed data back to the vehicle receiver (5), whereupon the controllers (3, 4, 501) modify the vehicle operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1992
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Asano, Kozo Katogi, Toshio Furuhashi, Shizuhisa Watanabe, Kiyoshi Miura
  • Patent number: 5088916
    Abstract: A gas-air ratio control valve for gas burners has a reciprocally movable operating rod (7) which is provided with a primary air flow rate control valve portion (A), a secondary air flow rate control valve portion (B) and a raw gas flow rate control valve portion (G), the opening degree of these valve portions being increased and decreased according to the reciprocal movement of the operating rod (7). In these valve portions, the inner wall surface of a valve body or valve chest can be tapered. The operating rod (7) can also be moved back and forth in the vertical direction. In case a raw gas is converged with a primary air, it may be also be faced with the flow of the primary air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1992
    Assignee: EIKEN Kougyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Furuhashi, Mokoto Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 4665884
    Abstract: Disclosed is an ignition control apparatus for an internal combustion engine arranged to control an ignition timing and a current conduction initiating timing on the basis of a time elapsed from a point in time at which a reference position is reached by a crank shaft, in which a crank reference position detector is caused to generate a crank reference position signal which is reversed in polarity at a crank reference position of each cylinder of the engine as well as at an intermediate position between a preceding and a succeeding timing at the crank shaft reference position, and a leading edge and a trailing edge of the crank reference position signal are detected so as to determine each of the detection of the revolutional speed of the engine, the ignition timing, and the period of current conduction on the basis of a time elapsed from the detected leading edge or the trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1987
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Yoshida, Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 4593663
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine having a carburetor which, controls the air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture supplied to the engine in the steady operating condition of the engine on the basis of predetermined data determined relative to the engine crankshaft rotation speed and intake vacuum and stored in a memory. A three-way catalyst purifies engine exhaust gases, and an output signal from an O.sub.2 sensor in the exhaust system is fed back for the control of the air-fuel ratio in the engine exhaust gases. A circuit checks whether this feedback control is normally carried or not. The air-fuel ratio supplied to the engine in an unsteady operating condition of the engine is controlled by regulating the fuel and air supplied to the engine while bypassing the carburetor, by the sensed values of the intake vacuum, engine crankshaft rotation speed and engine temperature and also depending on the throttle valve position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Atago, Yasunori Mouri, Tokuo Kosuge, Toshio Furuhashi, Osamu Abe, Taiji Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 4482962
    Abstract: A method of electronically controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine is effected on the basis of results of arithmetic operations of digital control quantities derived from detected operating conditions of the engine through digital processing operations. The digital processing operations are subdivided into a number of tasks in dependence on the control functions to be performed. In addition, these tasks are subdivided into a plurality of priority levels. The memory has a task control block having run or execution flag areas in response to the priority levels and start request flag areas in response to the tasks, the start request flag areas being classified in accordance with the levels, in order to make it easy to correct, alter or add tasks. An order for starting the execution of the task is always controlled in accordance with the condition of the run flags and the start request flags.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1984
    Date of Patent: November 13, 1984
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Matsuo Amano, Toru Sugawara, Toshio Furuhashi, Masumi Imai
  • Patent number: 4462378
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine having a carburetor, especially, the air-fuel ratio and the rate of exhaust gas recirculation, controls the air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture supplied to the engine in the steady operating condition of the engine on the basis of predetermined data determined relative to the engine crankshaft rotation speed and intake vacuum and stored previously in a memory. A three-way catalyst is used to purify engine exhaust gases, and an output signal from an O.sub.2 sensor in the exhaust system is fed back for the control of the air-fuel ratio in the engine exhaust gases. A circuit is provided to check whether this feedback control is normally carried or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1984
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Atago, Yasunori Mouri, Tokuo Kosuge, Toshio Furuhashi, Osamu Abe, Taiji Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 4449502
    Abstract: A control system for controlling the opening degree of a solenoid valve provided in an air or fuel supplying system for engine to thereby control the air/fuel ratio of the gas mixture being supplied to the engine. This control system includes a device for accumulating the number of revolutions of the engine from the time the engine starts. When the accumulated value reaches a predetermined value, it is decided that the warming-up of engine is completed. Then, the output of the O.sub.2 sensor for detecting the oxygen O.sub.2 concentration in the exhaust gas is fed back to thereby perform the closed loop control for the air/fuel ratio. Before the accumulated value reaches the predetermined value, the closed loop control is performed without use of the output of the O.sub.2 sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1981
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1984
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 4367531
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling ignition timing of an internal combustion engine employing rotation speed information and load information of the engine to determine ignition timing data. A correction amount used to retard the ignition timing and representative of the magnitude of knocking is produced when knocking of the engine is detected. The ignition timing data is corrected in the direction of retardation based on the correction amount, and the ignition timing data is advanced at a predetermined cycle by a desired angle at a time during the time period in which knocking is not detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1980
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1983
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Furuhashi, Noboru Sugiura
  • Patent number: 4366541
    Abstract: In a method and a system for engine control an engine control signal is generated on the basis of a signal produced at each moment from at least one sensor for detecting the operating condition of the engine, the control signal being used for engine control. In order to attain the proper engine operating condition, data representative of the detection signal from the sensor is adjusted in advance, and data for correcting the sensor output is calculated from said adjustment value, the correction data being stored in a memory. While the engine is running, the data representative of the detection signal from the sensor is corrected by the correction data stored in the memory, and this corrected detection signal representative data is used to produce the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1982
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Mouri, Seiji Suda, Masami Shida, Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 4337512
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for controlling an internal combustion engine are disclosed, wherein upon deceleration of the engine, fuel injection is interrupted on the basis of determination of an engine operating condition to interrupt the fuel injection, while the fuel injection is then restored on the basis of determination of an engine operating condition to restore the fuel injection. When the determination is made such that the fuel injection is to be restored, the ignition timing determined in dependence on the prevailing engine operating condition is delayed. The delayed ignition timing is progressively advanced after restoration of the fuel injection to regain the original ignition timing determined in dependence on the prevailing engine operating condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1982
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 4337513
    Abstract: A process for electronically controlling an internal combustion engine employ a plurality of engine controlling programs to be executed by a central processing unit classified into a number of task programs in accordance with processing functions of the CPU. The periods at which the task programs are to be activated are determined in consideration of the influential significance of the tasks in controlling the engine, whereby the task programs are executed in accordance with the activation periods thereof under supervision of a program for monitoring the plurality of the engine control programs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1982
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 4335689
    Abstract: An electronic type air/fuel ratio control system for use in gasoline engines comprises an accelerator, a detector of the manipulation angle of the accelerator, a shunt conduit by-passing a throttle valve, an air by-pass valve exposed in the shunt conduit for controlling flow rate of by-pass air, and a control circuit. The control circuit is responsive to the output of the accelerator manipulation angle detector and generates a control signal for the air by-pass valve, whereby the air/fuel ratio can be controlled with high accuracy when the flow rate of air is low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1980
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1982
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osame Abe, Seiji Suda, Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 4312038
    Abstract: An electronic engine control apparatus controls the engine on a basis of the outputs of the digital processor which arithmetically processes output signals from plural sensors for detecting the operating conditions of the engine. Whether or not a pulse to be generated in timing with the rotation of the engine has been generated within a preset period of time, as specified by the digital processor, is checked. If the pulse is generated, a timer for measuring the preset period is cleared. If the pulse is not generated within the preset period, a signal indicating the stopping of the engine is generated, whereby an interrupt signal is generated to cause the digital processor to process the interrupt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1978
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1982
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masumi Imai, Masao Takato, Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: 4310888
    Abstract: An electronic control apparatus for an internal combustion engine having engine parameter data sensors, an input/output unit, actuators and a data processing unit carries out a prescribed scenario for starting the engine. The starting sequence begins with the operation of a starting subsystem having a switch the state of which controls the operation of the starter motor. The starter motor is caused to be engaged and a set of initialization procedures are carried out by the data processing unit and input/output unit in dependence upon the state of the switch in the starting subsystem. These initializing procedures include engine operation control calculations as well as system preset steps. During this time, prescribed interrupts which would otherwise be delivered to the data processing unit from the input/output unit are inhibited. However, once the engine has been started, the interrupt inhibit is removed and the system operates under normal conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1982
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Furuhashi, Hiroastu Tokuda, Seiji Suda, Masumi Imai
  • Patent number: 4298941
    Abstract: The previous ignition timing is used as a starting point for repititive ignition cycles to define the primary coil current flow starting point, in order to secure a sufficient current flow duration for the primary coil current that is supplied to an ignition coil to thereby prevent a shortage of ignition energy. An arithmetic circuit including a central processor produces data representing the duration between the previous ignition timing and the primary coil current flow starting point. A counter starts this counting operation from the previous ignition timing. The primary coil current feed to the ignition coil starts at a time when the contents of the counter are coincident with the result of the processor produced data.The data is obtained by subtracting a necessary primary current flow duration or time from the interval between the previous ignition timing and the present ignition timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1981
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Furuhashi
  • Patent number: RE32156
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine employs a scheme whereby the operating conditions of the engine for normal operation are detected. Desired set values representative of the desired operating conditions of the engine are calculated on the basis of the detected operating conditions, and the desired set values are set in respective reference registers. The contents of one of instantaneous registers for storing instantaneous operating conditions of the engine respectively corresponding to the desired set values are successively compared with the desired set value stored in the corresponding one of the reference registers and a control signal is supplied in accordance with the result of each comparison to control the operation of the engine so that optimal operation of the engine may be performed.Prior to the starting of the engine, a preset scenario or procedure is carried out in response to the turn on of the key switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1986
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroastu Tokuda, Toshio Furuhashi